A recent appraisal by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has unveiled a stark reality within the Nigerian public service, graphically illustrating an alarmingly low level of efficiency across 69 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs). The findings, detailed in PEBEC's latest Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Performance Report, illuminate how these government bodies are either hindering or facilitating the ease of doing business in Nigeria through their implementation of reforms, policies, and public service delivery.
Alarming Inefficiency: 17 MDAs Score Zero in Critical Review
The report, covering the period from January to October 2025, paints a grim picture: a staggering 17 MDAs scored a dismal zero in the efficiency metrics. Many others registered only marginally higher scores, with only a handful demonstrating even a passable level of performance. Among the failed agencies were prominent institutions such as the Bank of Industry, Trademarks Registry, National Identity Management Commission, and the Nigerian Postal Service. This widespread underperformance raises serious questions about public politics and the allocation of national resources within the Nigeria General News sector.
Methodology and Mandate: PEBEC's Rigorous Evaluation Unpacked
PEBEC's assessment was not arbitrary but based on statutorily defined service-delivery parameters, evaluating MDAs on scales of efficiency, transparency, responsiveness, and "mystery shopping." This "mystery shopping" metric involves real-life scenarios to test MDAs' compliance with their published Service Level Agreements (SLA), a mandate under the Business Facilitation Act (BFA) 2022. The BFA 2022, signed into law in February 2023 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari, was a strategic move by the federal government to streamline and enhance the ease of doing business by removing bureaucratic bottlenecks. Despite these foundational efforts, the report indicates that critical MDAs, essential to the nation's economy, are failing to meet their statutory obligations for transparency and efficiency.
President Bola Tinubu Urged to Address Dysfunctional Governance
Almost a month after the report's release, there appears to be little accountability for the underperforming MDAs. These failing agencies are unequivocally described as "waste pipes" draining national patrimony. The report implicitly calls for the respective leadership of these MDAs to provide answers: Why the underperformance? What are they doing with internally generated revenue, or are they underfunded by the federal government? Are external factors sabotaging their efforts? These chief executives are urged to justify their positions to Nigerians. Given the recurring cycles of public service reforms—from the Chief Jerome Udoji exercise of 1974 to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in 2015 and current initiatives under Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack—the persistent dysfunction among these zero-scoring agencies is incompatible with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, demanding decisive action to rectify the state of governance in Nigeria Politics.