PEBEC Exposes Deep Bureaucratic Failures In New Ranking

By DAVID JOHN-FLUKE

A new performance audit by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has exposed deep inefficiencies across several federal agencies, with 17 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) scoring zero in the latest Business Facilitation Act (BFA) compliance ranking. The report evaluates how well government institutions are implementing reforms designed to improve Nigeria’s ease of doing business.

The agencies that failed the efficiency test include the Bank of Industry, NIPOST, the Industrial Training Fund, Trademarks Registry, Galaxy Backbone, the National Identity Management Commission, the National Bureau of Statistics, and key regulators such as the National Insurance Commission and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

PEBEC assessed 69 MDAs between January and October 2025, using indicators such as transparency, efficiency, responsiveness, and “mystery shopping”—a method for testing real-life compliance with Service Level Agreements mandated by the BFA 2022. The findings show that nearly half of the evaluated agencies performed poorly: 21 MDAs scored between 3% and 38.9%, indicating severe lapses in public service delivery.

While a handful of agencies such as the Nigerian Content Development Management Board (90.6%), NDLEA (89.3%), Customs (86.6%), NCC (85.3%), and the Ports Authority (84.2%) ranked high, many critical institutions lagged far behind. Low transparency, poor customer experience, and weak digital platforms were recurring deficiencies among underperforming agencies.

Experts warn that the findings signal a serious threat to Nigeria’s economic ambitions. Economist Dr. Muda Yusuf said the government must go beyond publishing performance reports and enforce accountability to avoid undermining efforts toward investment growth, job creation, and the administration’s economic targets. He noted that the Vice President’s office—under which PEBEC sits—should demand explanations from failing agencies.

Other analysts, including Professor Sheriffdeen Tella and anti-corruption advocate Debo Adeniran, linked the poor results to corruption, underfunding, weak staffing, lack of monitoring, and systemic government inefficiency. They argue that unless the administration reforms these institutions, Nigeria’s ease of doing business efforts will remain largely theoretical, with citizens and businesses bearing the brunt of bureaucratic failures.