In Nigeria, bribery has become so common that many people barely see it as bribery anymore. It is often called “settling,” “appreciation,” or simply “knowing someone.” From trying to get a document processed to dealing with certain officials, money can sometimes feel like the fastest way to get something done.
The problem is that this behaviour has gradually become normalised. Someone can wait for hours because an official is “busy,” only for the situation to change after money quietly changes hands. People who refuse to pay may find themselves delayed, ignored, or sent from one office to another. Eventually, some people stop questioning the system and start preparing for it.
This creates a difficult cycle. Officials may expect extra money because they know people will eventually pay. Citizens may offer money because they expect officials to demand it. Both sides become part of a system that disadvantages anyone who wants to do things properly.
It also affects young Nigerians growing up around this culture. If you constantly see people getting things done through connections and payments, it can become easy to believe that honesty is simply unrealistic. The idea of “if you don’t settle, nothing will move” becomes almost like an unwritten rule.
But bribery being common does not make it right. It makes the system harder to trust and creates an environment where people with money or connections have an advantage over those without them.
Changing this culture will not happen overnight. It requires better institutions, consequences for corruption, and ordinary people becoming less willing to accept bribery as just another part of Nigerian life.
Until then, “settling” will continue to be treated by many as normal, even though the consequences affect everyone.
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