Daud Olatunji
In a recent transparency and accountability ranking report, Ogun State has experienced a significant decline, plummeting from the 13th position to the 34th spot out of 36 Nigerian states.
The report, released by BudgiT, a renowned data and advocacy organization, revealed that Ogun State scored a mere 38 out of 100 in the second quarter of this year.
The detailed breakdown of the rating unveiled various shortcomings in Ogun State’s governance practices. Notably, the state received a rating of zero out of 12 in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and zero out of 13 in the proposed budget.
However, it managed to score 15 out of 21 in the approved budget. In other aspects, such as the Citizen’s budget, Ogun State scored zero out of 15 but achieved a score of 12 out of 16 in the Quarterly Budget Implementation Reports. On the positive side, the state earned a perfect score of 11 out of 11 for its e-procurement portal.
Unfortunately, its state website, serving as a fiscal data repository, received a dismal score of zero out of 12 and was reported to be currently offline.
In comparison to other Southwestern states, Ogun fared the worst in terms of transparency and accountability. Lagos secured the highest ranking in the region with a score of 67 out of 100, placing 14th overall.
Ekiti followed closely behind with a score of 68 out of 100, securing the 12th position.
Oyo State performed relatively better, attaining a score of 80 out of 100 and securing the 4th position in the nation.
It is worth noting that Sokoto, with a score of 21 out of 100, ranked last at the 36th position, while Benue State secured the 35th spot with a score of 35 out of 100.
Osun State clinched the 3rd position with a score of 80, closely followed by Ondo State in 2nd place with a score of 81. Ondo State was commended for its fully comprehensive and timely published MTEF document, although its approved budget had room for improvement.
The state’s citizens’ budget was deemed timely but lacking in comprehensiveness, while the Budget Implementation Reports (BIR) were both comprehensive and timely.
Additionally, Ondo’s e-procurement portal and state website were noted for their navigability, comprehensiveness, and accessibility, albeit lacking information on the proposed budget.
Jigawa State emerged as the front-runner, securing 1st place with an impressive score of 93.
This ranking report by BudgiT is part of an initiative aimed at promoting fiscal transparency, accountability, accessibility, and effective public finance management in Nigerian states.
It builds upon the World Bank’s State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS) Program.
This quarterly assessment focuses on several key areas, including the proposed budget, approved budget, citizens’ budget, Budget Implementation Reports (BIR), audited reports, citizens’ accountability reports, e-procurement portals, contract award information, Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), citizen engagement, and Freedom of Information (FOI) Act compliance.
Functional and up-to-date state websites are considered crucial for this assessment to extract the required information effectively
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