DAILY TRUST
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says 70 per cent of Nigerians refused to pay bribes in 2023 on at least one occasion.
This is according to the “NBS Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends Report” released in Abuja on Thursday.
The report said the bribery refusal rate was found to be highest in the North-West at 76 per cent, although the refusal rate recorded in all the zones was above 60 per cent.
It said in 2023, fewer citizens reported suffering negative consequences after refusing bribe requests at 38 per cent compared with the 49 per cent recorded in 2019.
“This suggests that Nigerians feel increasingly empowered to confront corrupt officials without fear of repercussions.”
The report said in 2023, 21 per cent of all bribe refusers indicated that their main reason for refusing a bribe request was because they had other options for getting what they wanted.
It showed that 42 per cent of bribe refusers did so because it was the right, moral thing to do while 23 per cent refused because they could not afford the requested gift or payment.
“This data shows that normative concerns as well as cost of living pressures play an important role in explaining why Nigerians refuse to pay bribes.”
The report revealed that corruption ranked fourth among the most significant problems affecting the country in 2023 at 10.9 per cent.
“Corruption came after the cost of living at 22.6 per cent, insecurity and unemployment at 19 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively.
“This suggests relatively stable and high levels of concerns about corruption over time and compared to other concerns such as education or housing.”
Anti-corruption campaign
The report said Nigerians’ confidence in the government’s anti-corruption effort had declined over time and across regions.
It said in 2019, more than half of all citizens thought that the government was effective in fighting corruption; however, in 2023, the share declined to less than a third of all citizens
“The downward trend in the citizens’ confidence is observable across the entire country, with all six zones recording reductions of more than 10 percentage points between 2019 and 2023.”
The report said in 2023, more than half of all bribes paid to public officials were requested directly by those officials at 52 per cent, while indirect requests accounted for 23 per cent.
“This was followed by facilitate procedure at nine per cent, sign of appreciation at eight per cent and third party request at five per cent.”
It revealed that more than 95 per cent of all bribes paid in 2023 were paid in monetary form (cash or money transfer), a slightly larger share than what was recorded in 2019.
“Others are food and drink at eight per cent, animals at seven per cent exchange for other services at four per cent.”