NEWS
Abia Ranks Among Nigeria’s Most Fiscally Transparent States as Southeast Records Mixed Performance in BudgIT’s Q1 2026 Report
Abia State has emerged as one of Nigeria’s better-performing states in fiscal transparency, scoring 92 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, according to a ranking released by BudgIT.
The ranking places Abia 11th among the 12 states identified as having the highest levels of fiscal transparency during the period, highlighting the state’s relatively strong performance in making public financial information accessible and transparent.
The development is particularly significant for the Southeast, where the fiscal transparency performance of states varied considerably.
Anambra and Ebonyi states delivered outstanding performances, both recording a perfect 100 per cent score and joining Adamawa, Benue, Ekiti, Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun and Ondo at the top of the national ranking.
Abia’s 92 per cent score placed it ahead of Bayelsa, which also recorded 92 per cent, while Edo followed closely with 97 per cent.
The figures underline a broader picture of uneven fiscal openness across the country, with some states demonstrating strong commitment to financial disclosure while others lag considerably behind.
Despite the strong showing by Anambra, Ebonyi and Abia, the Southeast also featured prominently among states with lower fiscal transparency scores.
Enugu State recorded 71 per cent, placing seventh among the 12 least fiscally transparent states in the quarter, while Imo State scored 74 per cent.
The contrasting performances mean that three Southeast states, Anambra, Ebonyi and Abia, were among the states with the strongest fiscal transparency records, while Enugu and Imo appeared in the lower-performing group.
The figures therefore present a mixed fiscal transparency picture for the region, with states operating at significantly different levels of public financial disclosure.
At the bottom of the national ranking was Rivers State, which recorded a fiscal transparency score of zero per cent.
Oyo followed with 36 per cent, while Taraba recorded 58 per cent. Delta scored 63 per cent, Kano 67 per cent and Nasarawa 71 per cent.
Enugu was also listed with a 71 per cent score, while Yobe, Plateau, Lagos, Katsina and Imo each recorded 74 per cent.
The ranking shows that fiscal transparency remains uneven across Nigeria, with a substantial gap between the states achieving full marks and those recording significantly lower scores.
Interestingly, the least fiscally transparent group contains two states from each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, underscoring that challenges surrounding fiscal disclosure are spread across the country rather than being concentrated in one particular region.
For Abia, however, the 92 per cent score places the state firmly among Nigeria’s stronger performers and signals a relatively high level of transparency in the publication and accessibility of public financial information during the first quarter of 2026.
The performance of Anambra and Ebonyi, both of which achieved 100 per cent, further gives the Southeast a strong presence at the top of BudgIT’s fiscal transparency assessment, even as the results from Enugu and Imo highlight the need for greater consistency across the region.