The Federal Government of Nigeria is intensifying its drive for greater accountability, efficiency, and measurable performance across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). This move is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's position that non-performance will no longer be tolerated across government institutions. The renewed focus on institutional accountability was highlighted at a recent high-level strategic engagement and press briefing hosted by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The engagement, themed "MDA Data Collection & Harmonisation," was led by the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele. The Director General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, also attended the event, presenting findings from the Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator (BEEPA). The BEEPA assessment revealed encouraging improvements, with 16 MDAs achieving full implementation of assessed reforms.
However, recent mystery shopping findings exposed a decline in responsiveness level following the conclusion of active monitoring. This demonstrates the need to move beyond periodic compliance to sustained institutional performance. Addressing heads of MDAs, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu reminded them of the ongoing mystery shopping exercises, the live performance tracker, and the upcoming end-of-year Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Compliance Ranking.
The PEBEC Director General emphasised that these mechanisms are designed to provide continuous visibility into institutional performance, identify service delivery gaps, and ensure that MDAs remain accountable for their reform commitments throughout the year. The message was clear: performance monitoring is continuous, compliance is measurable, and MDAs must be prepared to account for their results.
The engagement also reinforced the Federal Ministry of Finance's increasing emphasis on institutional performance. The Ministry is expected to consider the performance, responsiveness, and reform compliance of government agencies in its engagements and dealings with them. This approach aligns with President Tinubu's zero-tolerance stance on non-performance and the Federal Government's determination to ensure that public institutions deliver measurable results and improved services.
For PEBEC, the priority remains translating reform commitments into tangible and sustainable outcomes. Through continuous mystery shopping, real-time digital tracking, BFA compliance assessments, and data-driven performance monitoring, PEBEC will continue to strengthen transparency, identify implementation gaps, and support MDAs in improving service delivery. The goal is to build a more efficient, responsive, transparent, and enabling business environment.
The era of compliance on paper alone must give way to measurable performance, continuous accountability, and real results. PEBEC remains committed to working with government institutions to achieve this goal. The Federal Government's efforts to ensure accountability and performance across MDAs are ongoing, with a focus on delivering improved services to citizens and businesses.
Key points
- The Nigerian government is intensifying its drive for greater accountability and efficiency across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
- 16 MDAs have achieved full implementation of assessed reforms, but a decline in responsiveness level has been observed.
- PEBEC will continue to strengthen transparency and support MDAs in improving service delivery through continuous monitoring and assessments.
