Appraisal of Nigeria’s rating in the global corruption perception index, in the last three decades, provide insights into the abysmal rot across the public sector. Unfortunately, the perception of Nigeria’s public institutions as corrupt would continue to linger considering the predilection for bribery and other unethical practices. The prevalence of corruption in the public sector frustrates the goal of “Ease of Doing Business” which the government has taken several steps to enhance since 2020. Unethical practices of bribery impose illegitimate costs on citizens and businesses and make the process of securing services frustrating.

Unrestrained corruption in the public sector poses threats to the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is worrisome that the integrity of critical sectors, including the judiciary, regrettably, is becoming increasingly weakened on account of corruption as negative perceptions amongst citizens and global stakeholders continue to erode public confidence and trust in institutions charged with statutory mandates to discharge strategic and essential duties without inducement or compromise.

A recent report on “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends” by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in partnership with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates that an estimated N721 billion were paid in cash bribes to public officials in 2023 alone. The report which indicated a higher prevalence of bribery in the public sector compared to the private sector listed the customs, armed forces and the judiciary as public institutions where bribery is rampant with magistrates and judges as well as officers in the customs, immigration and the armed forces as main culprits.

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Adamu Aliyu disclosed, in September 2024, that a whopping ₦13 billion allegedly diverted from public coffers was recovered. Apart from open demand for bribery, which is widespread in the public sector, financial fraud attributable to cybercrimes also poses a daunting challenge that may spiral into huge revenue losses. The Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria (CICFIN) recently expressed concern over the worsening financial technology-related fraud resulting in N207.6 billion losses in 2022.

Despite the enormous human and natural resources which abound in the country, corruption has unfortunately remained intractable owing largely to the culture of impunity. Also central to the menace of corruption is the failure of political leadership to demonstrate unflagging commitment to a nationalistic agenda anchored on transparency and accountability rather than the convenient and flippant approach to fighting corruption.

Without a doubt, there is a compelling need for the country’s leadership to demonstrate willingness and courage to address the prevalent challenge of bribery and unethical practices in the public sector. It is however pertinent to emphasis that curtailing the peril of bribery as well as confronting corruption, on a wider scale, entails more than passing attention to the larger picture of societal ills which the prevailing trend of politics largely symptomised. It should be worrisome that the essential ingredients of value-based; service-oriented politics that should sustain nationalistic agenda are no longer accorded priority. Corruption in the public sector partly underscores the widespread corruption perpetrated with impunity by the political elite who often enjoy constitutional immunity or are shielded from prosecution.

It should equally be alarming that the report by NBS in collaboration with UNODC specifically alluded to substantial economic and political consequences of bribery across the public sector which translate into swaying matters of public interest including court decisions. The citizens across platforms of the society should therefore see the challenge as serious enough to warrant collective attention. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) is expected to appraise the development with a renewed commitment to sensitisation that will serve to mobilise a cross-section of the society for active engagement as stakeholders around issues that border on corruption in the society. The citizens as stakeholders have the responsibility to demand accountability while recognising the obligation to live by the standard of probity, integrity and transparency. More importantly, Institutions mandated by law to protect values and integrity in governance and public spaces must be seen to be discharging their statutory roles without fear or favour.

Therefore, anti-corruption institutions; particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) should not be unduly distracted or frustrated through legislative or executive tinkering particularly when such motives are essentially not altruistic.

The status of agencies charged with the responsibility of fighting corruption mustn’t be subjected to interference that manacles or weakens their operations. We cannot overemphasise the fact that executive interference and deliberate obstruction to legitimate activities of anti-corruption agencies remain a huge impediment to the fight against corruption in Nigeria. There is no doubt that commitment to the pursuit of the overriding objective of riding the polity of pervasive corruption and abuse of power will effectively translate into addressing public sector corruption and make the crusade against bribery more robust for tangible results.