Akwa Ibom and Rivers states have been excluded from BudgIT’s latest assessment of state finances because of gaps in their publicly available budget implementation records, limiting independent scrutiny of how billions of naira in public funds were managed.
The report, “Nigeria’s Reforms: What Has Changed Across Nigeria’s States? An Analysis of State Finances in the Post-Subsidy Years,” examined the financial performance of 34 states between 2022 and 2025, focusing on revenue, personnel costs, overheads, capital expenditure and spending on sectors such as education, health and infrastructure.
BudgIT said the two states were omitted because complete first-to-fourth-quarter Budget Implementation Reports (BIRs) were not publicly available for the period under review.
The organisation based its analysis on actual revenues received and expenditure incurred, rather than approved budgets, which only show what governments plan to receive and spend. The absence of complete records therefore made it impossible to fairly compare the two states with the others.
State Revenues Rise Sharply
The assessment showed that the combined revenue of the 34 states increased from N4.840 trillion in 2022 to N15.526 trillion in 2025, representing a 220.76 per cent rise.
FAAC allocations rose from N3.427 trillion to N11.378 trillion, an increase of 232.06 per cent, while internally generated revenue increased from N1.565 trillion to N4.147 trillion, representing 165.01 per cent growth.
BudgIT attributed the surge largely to increased federal transfers, currency devaluation, improved tax collection and higher oil revenues following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
BudgIT Country Director, Vahyala Kwaga, said the exclusion of Akwa Ibom and Rivers had significant implications for public accountability.
He said the lack of reliable data meant citizens had fewer tools to assess their governments’ financial performance and question how public funds were being spent.
Akwa Ibom Defends Reporting Format
BudgIT expressed particular concern over Akwa Ibom, noting that the state previously published more detailed fiscal reports but had reduced the amount of information contained in its recent BIRs.
According to Kwaga, some previous reports exceeded 20 pages, while more recent publications had been reduced to about five pages in some cases. He urged the state government to return to publishing detailed and regular fiscal reports.
The Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Linus Nkan, defended the approach, saying the government had deliberately made its reports shorter and easier for citizens to understand.
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He described BIRs as interim documents and said more comprehensive information would be contained in audited financial statements issued after the end of the financial year.
However, transparency advocates argue that audited accounts cannot fully replace quarterly implementation reports because BIRs enable citizens, legislators and researchers to monitor government spending while projects and programmes are still ongoing.
Available records also show that Akwa Ibom received N2.934 trillion during the first 38 months of Governor Umo Eno’s administration. The absence of comprehensive implementation reports makes it difficult to independently determine how the funds were allocated and spent.
Rivers’ Data Gap Amid Political Crisis
Rivers State faces a different set of circumstances, with its fiscal reporting affected by a prolonged political crisis between the executive and legislature, including the state of emergency declared in March 2025.
Although Governor Siminalayi Fubara later returned to office following the end of the emergency rule, the state had not published complete 2025 BIRs when BudgIT conducted its assessment.
BudgIT has urged Rivers to resume regular publication of its BIRs and make its Accountant-General’s reports available to the public.
The state’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Honour Sirawoo, did not respond to enquiries on the continued absence of the reports.
Transparency Concerns Persist
BudgIT said its methodology required complete Q1-Q4 implementation reports for 2022 and 2025, with expenditure figures drawn from the total expenditure by administrative classification section of the reports.
The exclusion of the two states therefore reflects the unavailability of the data required for a consistent assessment, rather than a discretionary decision by BudgIT.
The development highlights a broader accountability concern. While states have experienced substantial increases in revenue following the removal of the petrol subsidy, citizens in Akwa Ibom and Rivers have limited publicly available information with which to independently track how those resources are being managed.
For BudgIT, restoring regular and detailed fiscal reporting is essential to ensuring that increased public revenue is matched by greater transparency and accountability.
