By Chioma Iruke
Only six Local Government Councils (LGCs) in Nigeria have functioning websites, the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CFTIW) has revealed.
According to its 2021 Transparency and Integrity Index of Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as states across the country, all the 448 federal MDAs assessed, performed below 50 percent, with 19 MDAs, including educational institutions scoring zero.
Federal Government’s Housing Finance Agency, Family Home Funds, scored 34.92 percent, the best for a parastatal.
Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) ranks second with 33.37 percent; Petroleum Products Price Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) scored 32.27 to emerge third.
Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) is fourth – 30.60 percent; Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) is fifth – 29.74 percent; Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is sixth – 29.48 percent.
National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) ranks seventh with 29.09 percent; the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is eighth with 28.95 percent.
National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) ranks ninth with 28.37 percent, and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is tenth with 27.70 percent.
States and LGs performed better in their assessment. Kaduna State scored 76.67 percent, followed by Ekiti and Kwara States with 73.33 percent and 65.00 percent.
On the other hand, Zamfara and Sokoto states jointly occupied the bottom position with 16.67 percent.
The methodology for federal MDAs was slightly different from that of States and LGs. A total of 31 sub-variables and 12 sub-variables were used respectively.
CFTIW Executive Director, Umar Yakubu said the ranking seeks to evaluate and monitor public institutions’ compliance with laws that mandate them to disclose their dealings.
Yakubu disclosed that the survey intended to cover all the 774 LGCs in Nigeria, but only six have functioning websites.
The report, which covered the activities of institutions and States between 2016 and 2020, appraised accessibility to governance, budget and audit reports, procurement, citizen engagement, and human resources.
CFTIW Chairman, Angela Nworgu expressed hope that it would be adopted by the United Nations (UN), countries and international organizations, as the latest transparency index for institutions and governments.
