BudgIT has called on the Federal Government to treat the latest United States assessment of Nigeria’s fiscal transparency as an opportunity to strengthen weaknesses in budget reporting, auditing and procurement rather than dismissing the findings.
The appeal followed the U.S. Department of State’s 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report, which found that Nigeria made no significant progress in meeting the minimum fiscal-transparency requirements during the 2025 assessment period.
The review covered 139 governments and the Palestinian Authority, with 73 meeting the required standards.
Among the issues identified were gaps in the presentation of government revenue and expenditure, weaknesses in budget execution reporting and limited public access to procurement information.
The report also questioned the independence of Nigeria’s supreme audit institution and the publication of substantive audit findings.
The U.S. assessment further noted that Nigeria had published its enacted budget and end-of-year report online, while information on debt obligations was also made publicly available.
However, these areas of compliance were not sufficient to enable the country to meet the overall minimum transparency threshold.
Responding to the findings, BudgIT Country Director Vahyala Kwaga said the concerns about budget implementation reporting were consistent with issues the organisation had previously raised.
“The Nigerian federal budget has been consistently clear in terms of its revenue and expenditure composition. What hasn’t been clear for nearly one fiscal year is the report on budget implementation.”
Kwaga also questioned the independence of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, while criticising the limited public availability of procurement information. He said contract details, bid-opening information and evidence of competitive procurement were often unavailable to citizens.
The Federal Government, while acknowledging the report, said fiscal transparency and accountability remained priorities. The Presidency said the U.S. assessment should be viewed as a specific benchmark rather than a complete evaluation of Nigeria’s entire public-finance system.
The government also pointed to measures including the Open Treasury initiative, budget disclosure and procurement reforms, saying further steps were being taken to improve the accessibility, reliability and timeliness of fiscal information.
BudgIT’s position is consistent with its broader advocacy for stronger budget oversight. In its 2026 budget analysis, the organisation highlighted transparency and accountability as important areas requiring improvement in Nigeria’s fiscal management.
