Nigeria’s 511 out of 517 MDAs Fail Transparency Test — Report

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• FIRS, NNPC, NPA, in Red zone

BY BONNY AMADI

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, released in Abuja by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI), painted a gloomy picture of how critical agencies from finance to defence, agriculture to education, continue to lag behind in accountability, re- ports Daily Trust.

CeFTPI’s Executive Director, Dr. Umar Yakubu, said the assessment, con- ducted 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 Of- fences 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 sup- posed 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.