Many businesses and organisations operating in Nigeria, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises, come under tremendous pressure to bend the rules or have them bent for them when they interface with regulatory agencies. This is because the rules of the game (standard operating procedures, tariffs and so on) are never fully apparent, leaving the opportunity for officials to claim the existence of some infraction by the entity against which they demand large, unreceipted cash payments.

Sometimes companies willingly offer these payments because a fast track is not available to expedite an action or because they are indeed in the wrong and would like to avoid sanctions.

Whatever the reason may be, when confronted by officials acting outside a clear philosophy of regulation, businesses and organisations struggle to find ethical and sustainable ways to achieve regulatory compliance. At the Integrity Organisation and the Convention on Business Integrity, we have experience in helping entities navigate these challenges successfully.