News
Govt Officials Receive N400Bn Bribe Per Annum
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said roughly N400 billion is spent on bribes each year in Nigeria, taking into account that nine of every 10 bribes are paid in cash.
The NBS stated this in “Corruption in Nigeria, Bribery: Public Experience and Response 2017 Survey’’, posted on the bureau’s website in Abuja.
The bureau stated that it was estimated that the total amount of bribes paid to public officials in Nigeria in the 12 months prior to the survey was around N400 billion.
The survey was conducted in April/May 2016 in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria.
It said that the amount was equivalent to 4.6 billion dollars in purchasing power parity (PPP); the sum is equivalent to 39 per cent of the combined federal and state education budgets in 2016.
The NBS said that bribe-payers in Nigeria spent an eighth of their salary on bribes.
On average, the report stated that almost one bribe was paid by every adult Nigerian per year.
It stated that by combining the total number of people who paid a bribe to a public official with the frequency of those payments, it was estimated that a total of roughly 82.3 million bribes were paid.
It added that roughly 82.3 million bribes were paid in Nigeria in the 12 months prior to the survey.
According to the report, this results in an average of 0.93 bribes paid per adult, or almost one bribe paid by every adult Nigerian per year.
The report further revealed that almost a third of Nigerian adults paid bribes when in contact with public officials.
It stated that almost a third of Nigerian adults (32.3 per cent) who had contact with a public official between June 2015 and May 2016 had to pay, or were requested to pay a bribe to that public official.
The bureau, however, stated that the magnitude of public sector bribery in Nigeria became even more palpable when factoring in the frequency of those payments.
It stated that it became more palpable when factoring in the frequency in those payments as the majority of those who paid a bribe to a public official did so more than once over the course of the year.
According to the bureau, bribe-payers in Nigeria pay an average of some six bribes in one year, or roughly one bribe every two months.
In addition, the report revealed that Nigerians considered bribery the third most important problem facing the country.
It stated that the findings could explain why, after the high cost of living and unemployment, Nigerians considered corruption to be the third most important problem affecting the country.
The report stated that corruption was the third most important problem facing the country well ahead of the state of the country’s infrastructure and health service.
It stated that public sector bribery was not the only form of corruption affecting Nigeria, the prevalence of bribery in relation to selected employees of private companies was 5.5 per cent.
The report stated that the 5.5 per cent denoted that bribery was also significant in the private sector in Nigeria.
It, however, stated that the payment of bribes to public officials was the most familiar and widespread form of corruption directly experienced by the population and the one that most affects the lives of ordinary citizens.
The survey was based on data collected in a large-scale household survey (33,067 households) on corruption conducted in April/May 2016 in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria.
The survey was conducted as part of a technical assistance project on corruption funded by the European Union (Support to Anti-Corruption in Nigeria) and was implemented by the NBS in partnership with UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
The Federal Government’s frontline anti-corruption agencies, the EFCC, ICPC, CCB and CCT, have been revitalised and made more proactive in the pursuit of perpetrators of corrupt practices, irrespective of their social status and political persuasion. This is a radical departure from the past.
The government says the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) whereby all Federal Government revenue goes into one account now makes it impossible for public officers to divert public funds to private accounts as was the practice before.
“Through the effective application of TSA and the Bank Verification Number (BVN), we have been able to remove 23,000 ghost workers from our pay roll, thereby saving billions that would have been stolen.
“We are also reviewing our anti-corruption laws and have developed a national anti-corruption strategy document that will guide our policies in the next three years, and possibly beyond, ” according to Acting president Yemi Osinbajo.
Atte Ayodeji, a Nigerian computer scientist,has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of detecting, counting, grouping and generating healthy hair follicles during hair transplant procedures, an innovation that earned him the Best Innovative Technology award.
Atte Ayodeji
Ayodeji also graduated with a Distinction in his Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science from Birmingham City University on Friday, adding another milestone to an impressive academic year.
Beyond his award-winning hair transplant innovation, the Nigerian researcher developed a system and framework on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) as a professional responsibility in the diagnosis of lung cancer.
His dissertation received a silver award at the PGXPO2026 Winter, further highlighting the impact of his research in applying artificial intelligence to healthcare.
Sunday Dare, special adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Tinubu, celebrated Ayodeji’s achievements in a post on X, recalling how he first met him in 2019 during his National Youth Service.
“In 2019 when I became a Minister of the Republic, I met a young man of medium height, genteel with penetrating eyes: Atte Ayodeji. His words rarely come out and he could easily be passed by unnoticed. But I noticed him especially when my SA Kemi Areola brought him to me asking my approval for him to do his Youth Service in my office. I approved. From then on he was unstoppable. His brilliance shown and he developed skills beyond his frame.”
Highlighting Ayodeji’s recent accomplishments, Dare congratulated him saying, “Congratulations Atte. I am proud of you!”
Mr. Joseph Tegbe, minister of Power, has said that the federal government plans to end power sector subsidies from 2027 and that there are no immediate plans for tariff increases.
Mr. Joseph Tegbe, minister of Power
The minister told journalists during the media interactive session at the weekend that the government has announced plans to phase out electricity subsidy payments from 2027 as part of efforts to address mounting liabilities in the power sector.
He explained that the planned removal forms part of the broader reforms aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the electricity sector, while tackling the financial challenges confronting the industry.
According to the minister, despite the planned subsidy withdrawal, there are no immediate plans to increase electricity tariffs, reassuring consumers that the government is not considering a tariff hike in the short term.
Patience Okala, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office has urged African countries to stop exporting raw materials and instead focus on adding value to its natural resources if it is to fully harness the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
She stated this on Thursday at the Streamsowers & Köhn 20th Anniversary Business Forum, where she stressed that value addition and beneficiation are essential to Africa’s industrialisation and long-term economic growth.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, she said the AfCFTA goes beyond the elimination of tariffs, serving as a framework for industrialisation, value addition, and job creation across the continent.
“AfCFTA is not only about tariffs; it is also about value addition. Africa has to stop exporting raw materials. We need to add value and ensure that beneficiation is done on the continent,” she said.
Okala also said Africa’s economic transformation would depend on the effective implementation of the AfCFTA rather than on the signing of trade agreements alone.
“We have moved beyond negotiations. The success of AfCFTA will be measured by the extent to which businesses can access new markets, trade seamlessly across borders, and benefit from the opportunities created by the agreement,” she said.
She noted that Nigeria had intensified efforts to implement the agreement under the leadership of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, including the development of simplified AfCFTA guides in six languages to help businesses understand and take advantage of opportunities under the trade pact.
Okala called for stronger collaboration among governments, regulators, and the private sector to eliminate barriers to trade and investment and build a truly integrated African market.
“As we move from policy to implementation, our collective responsibility is to ensure that the opportunities created by AfCFTA become practical realities for businesses, particularly MSMEs, women-owned enterprises, and young entrepreneurs across the continent,” she said.
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