What Drove Nigeria’s Staggering N700 Billion in Bribes in 2023?

In 2023, Nigeria faced a huge problem with corruption, with people paying a total of N700 billion in bribes throughout the year.

Musa Aliyu, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), stated this issue during a talk at Ahmadu Bello University’s Faculty of Law, emphasising how this widespread corruption is holding back the country’s progress and damaging trust in its institutions.

A Widespread Problem

Aliyu explained that bribery is more common in rural areas than in cities. This uneven spread of corruption makes it hard to tackle the problem effectively and ensure that all regions can develop fairly.

Despite these difficulties, more people are starting to report corruption: the percentage of citizens reporting bribes has increased from 3.6% in 2019 to 8.6% in 2023. This shows that more people are becoming aware of the issue and are willing to take a stand against it.

Impact on Society and Rights

The chairman also spoke about how corruption affects more than just money, it hurts human rights and social justice too. For instance, a 2018 World Bank survey found that about 70% of female graduates from Nigerian colleges had been sexually harassed. This kind of abuse shows how deep corruption can go, affecting people’s safety and dignity.

Aliyu stressed the need for better training in the judiciary to handle new challenges like cybercrime more effectively. This is important for keeping up with technological changes and protecting people from new threats.

By focusing on these areas, the ICPC hopes to build a stronger fight against corruption, using education, community action, and better laws to bring back fairness and trust in Nigerian society.