Nigeria Content Online

The National Bureau
of Statistics (NBS) released its first ever crime and corruption survey
last Thursday in Abuja. The report’s statistics about bribery and its
effects on Nigerian businesses reflected the experiences of many
entrepreneurs in the country.

For instance, it
revealed that 71 per cent of the over 2,200 businesses questioned said
corruption was a major obstacle to their operations, second only to
crime and political instability. Not surprisingly, the police and
customs, as well as utility companies such as the Power Holding Company
of Nigeria (PHCN) were rated as the country’s most corrupt
institutions. Surprisingly, the nation’s courts were rated as one of
the least.

Not many of the
businesses turned to the justice system to resolve their disputes –
only 20 per cent – but of those who did, 84 per cent were satisfied
with their experience. The businesses were split, however, over their
access to information within the legal system. Thirty-eight per cent
felt they were adequately informed, while 27 per cent said they were
not.

It should be noted
that most businesses did not use the legal system at all. Five per cent
said their avoidance was deliberate, as the courts were just too
lengthy and expensive.

Not all good news

Nigerian
entrepreneurs, like their counterparts outside the industry, did not
trust their public institutions. Though anti-corruption body, the EFCC,
was the most highly rated agency among businesses, it only garnered 51
per cent of their votes. The media fared no better, with 43 per cent.
Scores went down even further when the respondents were asked to rate
the honesty of institutions.

The EFCC, still the highest, got 38 per cent of the vote, while the media nabbed 25 per cent.

While the popular
belief is that corruption helps to ‘grease the wheels’ and move
bureaucratic systems along, the report said that the prevalence of
corruption in the country’s public institutions was actually hindering
development.

For one thing,
bribes were often paid for no specific reason and without any
particular effect. Many businesses reported that they paid bribes as a
matter of course, and often, more than once to the same individuals and
institutions.

Bribes also
disproportionately fell on small-scale enterprises which reported
paying more frequently, though in smaller amounts, than their larger
counterparts.

Organizers warned
that the actual numbers might be much higher, as many businesses would
not even say whether they had been asked for bribes or not. Few
businesses reported these incidents to law enforcement, as many felt no
action would be taken.

As Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration steps up its anti-crime campaign, it would be
gratified to know that few businesses saw bribery in a positive light.
Most agreed that the country would be better run with its elimination.

Hopes of more to come

The report was
conducted in 2007 with funding from the European Union and the United
Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and operated in conjunction
with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It was
released in December last year after donor organisations reviewed the
data.

Organisers hope to stage another survey to update the report’s information. However, E. G. Thomas, assistant chief statistician at the NBS, said they had to wait for funds.

“This is the first survey on crime and it will be used as baseline
data.” Mr Thomas said. “We know that since the survey, there have been
a lot of changes in government and the structure of things. But we have
no way of knowing whether there has been any improvement or not. Except
we conduct a survey, we cannot know authoritatively.”