The most solitary obstruction to economic development and political integration in modern societies is bribery and corruption. This is so because ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are constantly faced with the challenge of bribery and other corrupt practices.
Transitioning from one regime to another in the country promises honest and transparent government. However, succeeding governments have been accompanied with malfeasance of different proportions.
It is far-flung in Nigeria despite the well-developed anti-corruption legal framework because enforcement of same remains very weak: gifts, bribery and facilitation of payments among others are the norm. It was estimated that corruption could cost Nigeria up to 37 per cent of its GDP by 2030 or circa $1,000 per person if not overcome (PWC 2017).
Corruption in Nigeria dates far before independence and the evil still exists till now: in the judicial system, public services, land administration, tax administration, customs administration, public procurement, natural resources, legislation, embassies, health institutions, FRSC, educational institution, and the police force among others. It is a major holdback to achieving the 2030 agenda on “Sustainable Development”. Hence, the need to put up better strategy and legal framework in stamping out corruption in the country as it is pervasive across all institutions.
Although Nigeria scored 27 out of 100 points in the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and was ranked 144 out of 180 as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, the prevalence of bribery dropped by 2.1 percentage point from 32.3 per cent in 2016 to 30.2 per cent in 2019.
According to the survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the amount of bribe paid in cash to the Nigerian public officials alone amounts to the tune of N675bn in 2019. The results of the survey showed an 11 percentage increase in the number of Nigerians who were in contact with public officials from 52 per cent in 2016 to 63 per cent in 2019.
Similarly, 30.2 per cent of all Nigerian citizens who had at least a contact with a public official in the 12 months prior to the 2019 survey paid a bribe to or were asked to pay a bribe by a public official. This figure represents 2.1 percentage change from 2016.
Across the six geo-political regions, North-East, North-West and South-West recorded decrease in the prevalence of bribery since 2016; however, the North-Central, South-East and South-South recorded further increase in the prevalence of bribery from 2016 till date.
Analysing the region from the least prevalent to the most prevalent in bribery; North-West region did not only recorded the most significant decrease in the prevalence of bribery at 11 percentage points from 36.2 per cent in 2016 to 25.2 per cent in 2019, it is also the region where bribery is least prevalent.
Although South-East comes after North-West at 25.9 per cent as the second least prevalent region in terms of bribery, there is an indication that bribery became more prevalent in the region as it increased by 1.5 percentage points over 2016 level.
Followed is the South-West region at 31.4 per cent bribery prevalence level, which represents a 1.4 percentage points decline in the prevalence of bribery within the same period. The North East, numbered 4th at 31.9 per cent prevalence of bribery recorded the seconded biggest percentage points decrease at 3.4 from 2016 level.
The North-Central and the South-South at 32.6 per cent and 35.4 per cent prevalence of bribery both top the regions respectively. The level of bribery prevalence is accompanied by a 1.5 percentage points increase. The highest 3.5 percentage point increase in the prevalence of bribery was in the South-South and the North-Central regions respectively.
In the urban areas across the six geopolitical zones, all zones but two showed decline in the prevalence of bribery within three years (2016 -2019): bribery and corruption was most prevalent in the South-South and North-Central urban regions as it increased by 7 percentage points each respectively from 38 per cent to 45 per cent for urban South-South and from 30 per cent to 37 per cent in urban North-Central region during the reference period.
Although urban areas in the South-East recorded the least prevalence of bribery among others, the most appreciable decline in the prevalence of bribery was recorded in urban areas in the North-West. Trailing is the North-east, South-East and South-West from high to low.
“In 2019, the prevalence of bribery among people living in urban areas (34 per cent) in Nigeria was around 6 percentage points higher than among those living in rural areas (28 per cent). This difference shows that in densely populated areas, where there are more opportunities for interacting with different types of public official, bribes may be more necessary for overcoming bottlenecks and facilitating the delivery of services by public officials than in less densely populated areas. In contrast to the prevalence of bribery, the average number of bribes paid by bribe-payers is slightly larger in rural than in urban areas of Nigeria”, said NBS.
Similarly in the rural areas across regions, all but two regions showed decline in the prevalence of bribery within the three years: bribery and corruption was most prevalent in the North-East, then South-South. However, there was a 2 percentage and 1 percentage points decrease in the prevalence of bribery in the North-East and South-South respectively within the same period.
The rural areas in the North-West did not only record the least prevalence of bribery among others, but it also recorded the most appreciable decline in the prevalence of bribery at 11 percentage points. This is followed by the North-East at a 2 percentage points decline, while both South-South and South-West declined at 1 percentage point each.
