By Olatunde Marolan
(Lagos) The European Union has invested €88 million ($112 million) in the fight against corruption efforts in Nigeria, but corruption remains the uncontested winner in this match, TruthNigeria has learned.
“Together with its partners, the European Union in Nigeria has launched the second phase of the EU Support to the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) programme. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) is implementing the current phase of the programme in six focal areas of Adamawa, Anambra, Edo, Kano Lagos and Plateau,” according to the EU. The European Union has supported Nigeria’s ant-corruption efforts since 2005, contributing a total of 88 million euros through three successive and successful programmes, the EU reported.
According to Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, Nigeria recorded an estimated 87 million bribery cases totalling N700 billion ($439,488,686) in 2023. A TruthNigeria investigation in Lagos State found that bribery has become a norm, making it difficult to survive without bowing to it.
A car dealer, Femi Akingbade, says that he pays at least N6,000 ($3.4) in bribes to touts each time he drives an imported vehicle out of the Apapa wharf to avoid attacks and vandalism.
When asked whether it’s illegal, he answered, “I won’t say it’s legal but it’s an illegal way of collecting money by the security agents through proxies, because the freelance fixers do bribe the police.”
Bribery is widespread in Lagos State and Nigeria, affecting all sectors and levels of society. TruthNigeria’s investigation found that bribery is required for various activities, including building construction, where bribes are paid to locals, artisans, and for delivery of building materials.
If a vehicle breaks down on a street, bribes are paid to neighborhood criminals, sometimes called “area boys,” before repairs are made or towed away, otherwise, it will be robbed or vandalized. Citizens who want to give alms to beggars or donate aids to poor communities, often find that the local area boy needs to be paid his fee before the donation goes to the beggar.
This culture of bribery has become a norm and a form of entitlement, with touts and locals expecting payment for even the most basic activities.
Mr. Ayoola Ewuola, a PhD student in the University of Agriculture Abeokuta at Ogun State revealed that he paid bribes to successfully process his transcript from the school where he finished his Master of Science degree.
“I made a lot of payments, and I was not issued receipts; in fact, they’ll cook up lies about remita (a payment platform), and when you finally generate the receipt, you’ll discover it’s far below what you paid. If you have not paid, you’ll be delayed, frustrated and may not be able to achieve your goal; it’s part of the system, and you have to conform to it,” Ewuola said.
When told that the EU has spent $112 million dollars to help Nigeria to fight bribery and corruption, he said, “they are only encouraging corruption by spending money to fight it. To fight corruption, they have to block the loopholes by investing money to grow the economy, improve the cost management and get the detailed analysis of activities and block the loopholes. The fact is, they can’t spend money on fighting bribery and corruption, they’re just heeding it.”
The costs of executing projects in Nigeria are inflated due to the huge amounts budgeted to bribe cadres from the top to bottom in the country. Nigeria has the highest cost of constructing 1 km of asphalt road globally, due to corruption.
Olatunde Marolan is a reporter for TruthNigeria.
