The U.S. Department of State’s 2025 Fiscal Transparency Report has alleged insufficient disclosure of public procurement contracts in Nigeria, grouping the country with 32 African states that made little or no progress on fiscal openness. While acknowledging Nigeria’s gains in publishing budget documents and debt data, the report criticized failures to release details of awarded contracts and said the Office of the Auditor-General lacks institutional independence and has not published comprehensive budget-execution audits.
According to the report, minimum standards require timely online access to executive budget proposals, enacted budgets, end-of-year reports, SOE debt data, and—where applicable—sovereign wealth fund rules. It urges Abuja to ensure the supreme audit institution meets global independence norms, publishes audits within 12 months, and makes procurement information readily accessible. Of 139 jurisdictions assessed (plus the Palestinian Authority), 71 met the minimum threshold; 69 did not, though 26 of those showed meaningful progress.
BPP pushes back:
Nigeria’s Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) swiftly debunked the allegations as “false and lacking merit.” Director-General Dr. Adebowale Adedokun said reforms under President Bola Tinubu have “sanitised the process”, insisting contract awards now follow due process, are advertised in line with the Procurement Act, and pass-through benchmarking and price-intelligence checks. He cited:
- Stricter oversight: Engagement of civil society and professional bodies in monitoring and evaluation; active probes by ICPC, EFCC, Police, and CCB into Procurement Act breaches.
- Process upgrades: Raised FEC approval thresholds to decentralize decisions; BPP empowered to run procurement audits; expansion of e-government procurement to digitize bidding and disclosures.
- Access and competition: Examples of fully online tenders won by foreign firms without in-country presence, which he framed as proof of transparency.
- Inclusion: Affirmative measures to broaden participation by women, youth, and persons with disabilities, alongside an ongoing legal review to plug gaps.
Adedokun conceded historic weaknesses but argued the U.S. assessment may not reflect changes in the last 18 months, adding that BPP has reversed some improperly awarded contracts based on petitions and is building nationwide procurement-officer capacity “for the first time in over a decade.”
The U.S. report presses Nigeria to publish procurement contract information, bolster audit independence, and maintain comprehensive, timely budget disclosures. The BPP says reforms are ongoing and measurable, but watchdogs will look for consistent, public, contract-level transparency and regular audit publications to validate Abuja’s claims.
