The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday disclosed that bribes totaling N402bn were paid to judges, police, customs officers, public utilities officers, teachers/lecturers, doctors, etc. in 2016.
The largest public sectors to receive these bribes were the police, judges and magistrates, and customs officers.
Director, Real Sector and Household Statistics, NBS, Dr. Isiaka Olarenwaju, said this at the Stakeholders Summit on Corruption in Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.
The summit was themed Evidence Based Interventions for Collective Impact and centered on mobilizing youth to fight corruption in any and all spheres of society.
According to Olarenwaju, the National Corruption Survey which reported as from August 2017, almost a third of Nigerian citizens pay bribes when in contact with public officials.
“Out of 100 individuals only 20 would refuse to pay bribes,” he said.
“Nigeria has experienced this menace for a long time but is now tackling it head on.”
Assistant Director, Education Department, Independent Corrupt Practiced Commission, Azuka Ogugua, hampered on the need for educational reform to sensitize youths on anti-corruption.
“No nation can rise above the level of our educational standard,” she said.
“ICPC is applying renewed vigor to proactive corruption prevention and anti-corruption education in the strong belief that therein lies sustainable gains in the anticorruption crusade.
“We are working towards the prevention of corruption via system study.”
She also implored Nigerians play their own parts by using the ICPC hotline to report any cases of corrupt acts, processes and procedures.