17 Agencies Rank Zero in Efficiency Report
Overview of the Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Performance Report
A recent report from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has revealed that 17 federal government agencies in Nigeria have been rated as completely inefficient. This evaluation, part of the Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Performance Report, assesses how ministries, departments, and agencies are enabling the ease of doing business through the implementation of reforms, policies, and public service delivery.
The agencies that scored zero in the efficiency metric include the Bank of Industry, Trademarks Registry, Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, Federal Produce Inspection Service, Galaxy Backbone Limited, Industrial Training Fund, Joint Tax Board, National Identity Management Commission, National Insurance Commission, and National Bureau of Statistics. Other agencies that received a score of zero include the Nigerian Postal Service, Patent and Design Registry, Service Compact, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigerian Copyright Commission, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and Financial Reporting Council.
The report, released over the weekend, evaluated 69 MDAs between January and October 2025, on the scale of efficiency, transparency, responsiveness, and mystery shopping—a metric that uses real-life scenarios to test the compliance level of business-facing MDAs against their published Service Level Agreements (SLA) as mandated by the BFA 2022.
Key Findings from the Report
The report assessed how effectively MDAs are implementing the statutory transparency and efficiency requirements established under the BFA 2022. The BFA 2022 was signed into law in February 2023 as part of the federal government's strategy to consolidate and expand the country's ease of doing business reforms. Established in 2016 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari, PEBEC is responsible for implementing the act with a view to removing the bottlenecks and bureaucratic constraints of doing business in Nigeria.
In addition to the 17 agencies that scored zero in the Efficiency Compliance Ranking, 10 others ranked very low. These include the National Inland Waterways Authority, National Pension Commission, Special Control Unit for Money Laundering, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Ministry of Interior, Nigeria Investment Promotion Council, Securities and Exchange Commission, Central Bank of Nigeria-National Collateral Registry, and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency.
The report also revealed that of 54 MDAs whose overall performance across the metrics were documented, almost half performed abysmally. Twenty MDAs scored between 52.9% and 90.6%, eight garnered 42.4% to 48.8%, while 21 scored in the range of 3% to 38.9%.
Top Performing Agencies
Among the top performing MDAs are the Nigerian Content Development Management Board, which scored 90.6%, followed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at 89.3%, Nigeria Customs Service at 86.6%, Nigerian Communications Commission at 85.3%, and Nigerian Ports Authority at 84.2%.
Challenges in Transparency and Service Delivery
The mystery shopping index of the report indicated that many MDAs fell short in terms of customer experience, overall service delivery, transparency, usability of digital platforms, and clarity and accessibility of published information. Some of the MDAs found deficient in this aspect include the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, Bank of Industry, Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Service Compact, Ministry of Interior, Trademarks Registry, Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Power, and Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority.
The top five MDAs in the mystery shopping category are the National Pension Commission, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Nigeria Immigration Service, and Nigerian Content Development Management Board.
Expert Opinions on Poor Performance
Experts have expressed concerns about the poor performance of these agencies, noting that it undermines efforts to improve the economy. Dr Muda Yusuf, an economist and Director of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises (CPPE), emphasized the need for the government to act on the report. He highlighted the importance of accountability and urged the Office of the Vice President to hold underperforming agencies responsible.
Professor Sheriffdeen Tella, a public affairs analyst and professor of economics, pointed to factors such as poor staffing, corruption, and lack of dedication as possible reasons for the poor rankings. He stressed the need for regular reviews of MDAs' responsibilities to ensure they meet expectations.
Debo Adeniran, Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, called the poor performance a wake-up call for the government to self-assess and improve its strategies. He emphasized that the inefficiency of MDAs negatively impacts the economy and the lives of citizens.
Overall, the findings of the report underscore the urgent need for improvements in the efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness of Nigeria's federal agencies to support the country's economic goals.
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