A 2025 Transparency and Integrity Index report has revealed that only six out of 517 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) passed the minimum benchmark, leaving 511 trapped in the red zone.

The report, revealed in Abuja by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI), painted a troubling picture of how critical agencies from finance to defence, agriculture to education, continue to lag behind in accountability.

CeFTPI’s Executive Director, Dr. Umar Yakubu, said the assessment, conducted in partnership with government oversight bodies, exposed deep gaps in disclosure, ethics, and service delivery.

“The figures speak for themselves. Citizens rely on these agencies every day, yet the institutions meant to manage trillions in revenue and services lack the transparency expected of them,” he explained.

Yakubu noted that the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) came first for the second consecutive year with a score of 78.84 percent, followed by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) with 78.21 per cent, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) with 78.13 percent.

He added that three institutions were in the yellow zone with borderline scores: the Development Bank of Nigeria (62.60 per cent), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (54.12 percent), and the Bank of Industry (51.29 percent). “The rest of the 511 MDAs all fall in the red category, which means they failed the integrity test,” he said.

Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dasuki Arabi, noted that the poor showing was not only about corruption but also weak compliance.

“This is about systems that are supposed to work for Nigerians but often don’t. Our job is to close those gaps and make transparency the norm,” he said.

Agencies on red zone

The report showed that even agencies at the heart of Nigeria’s economy fell short. These include the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation all performed poorly. Analysts say the implications are dire. “When the institutions that manage our money cannot fully account for their processes, then trust in the economy suffers,” Yakubu added.

Other agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) also failed to inspire confidence as well as The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Despite being Nigeria’s main revenue source, transparency remains elusive in the oil and power sectors.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) all scored below expectations.

Similarly, the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) failed the transparency test.

Yakubu said the failure of such agencies raised red flags because of their centrality to the country’s finances.

The Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Shippers Council were all among the 511 agencies that scored poorly.

The aviation sector was not spared either, with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) both performing below standards.

On land, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) equally fared badly, raising concerns about transparency in major infrastructure projects.

Despite consuming a huge chunk of the federal budget, the Ministry of Defence, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force all recorded dismal performances.

The Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) also failed to meet transparency standards. Yakubu said the results were particularly worrying given ongoing security challenges.

Commenting, Arabi said, “Defence and security institutions cannot continue to operate like black boxes. Nigerians deserve to know how their resources are being deployed.”

He added that even agencies created to check corruption and abuse of office performed poorly. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), and the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) were all listed among those that failed the test.

Arabi said this contradiction was a wake-up call. “If anti-corruption institutions themselves cannot fully comply with disclosure, then it undermines the fight against corruption,” he added.

The Federal Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the Court of Appeal, the National Judicial Council (NJC), and the Federal Judicial Service Commission also recorded poor results. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the National Assembly Service Commission were not left out.

The Federal Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) were all in the red zone. Agencies like NAFDAC, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and several Federal Medical Centres and Teaching Hospitals also failed to pass the test. Health watchers say this could undermine service delivery.

“When hospitals and health regulators are not transparent, citizens lose faith in the system, especially in times of crisis,” Arabi said.

The Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) all ranked poorly. Major examination bodies such as JAMB, WAEC (Nigeria), and NECO also scored low.

Yakubu noted that lack of openness in the education sector was hurting young Nigerians. “Students and parents deserve accountability in how resources are used,” he said.

Agencies critical to Nigeria’s food security were also implicated. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) all failed the test. Others included the Nigeria Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), the Bank of Agriculture, and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). Observers said the result was worrying given rising hunger. “Agricultural agencies are supposed to support farmers and boost food production. Their failure reflects directly on food prices,” one analyst noted.

In the technology and media sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Galaxy Backbone all failed.

The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) also performed poorly.

Agencies entrusted with pensions and welfare also fared badly. The National Pension Commission (PENCOM), the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) were all in the red zone. The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and the Family Homes Fund Ltd also recorded weak compliance.

‘Index not to shame institutions’

Despite the poor numbers, CeFTPI said the index was not meant to shame institutions but to guide reforms.

“We want to see improvement. Transparency is not a luxury, it is a necessity for national development,” Yakubu stressed.

Arabi added that reforms would be pushed harder. “We will continue to work with agencies to mainstream openness and accountability. Nigerians deserve no less,” he said.

The 2025 Index is expected to form part of broader governance reforms, but for many citizens, the revelations only confirm what they already know, that too many of the country’s most important agencies operate in secrecy, while service delivery suffers.(Daily Trust)