Nigeria Mandates MDAs to Enforce 2026 Transparency Index Amid Fake Agency Crackdown

ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, CON, has issued a stern directive to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to translate the findings of the newly released 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) into actionable operational reforms.

This directive comes as the OSGF intensifies efforts to restore public trust following the recent discovery and dismantling of fraudulent, parallel agencies operating illegally within the federal structure.

Senator Akume gave the charge on Monday while delivering the keynote address at the official presentation of the 2026 TII report, held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja.

Speaking on the governance direction of the current administration, the SGF emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains unyielding in his commitment to open, accountable, and responsible governance.

He maintained that public institutions must ensure their policies, programmes, and activities are visible, trackable, and easily understood by the Nigerian public to prevent illegal entities from exploiting administrative loopholes.

“The report should not sit on the shelf,” Akume warned. “It must inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public. In light of recent security and administrative breaches by fake agencies, absolute transparency is no longer optional—it is a national security and integrity imperative.”

The SGF described the Index as a vital national instrument for evaluating ethical standards, openness, and accountability across the public sector. Rather than viewing transparency as an administrative burden, Akume urged public sector chiefs to treat it as an institutional asset. He noted that integrity must be woven into the daily culture of public institutions through proper record-keeping, strict oversight, ethical leadership, and clear consequences for official wrongdoing.

The recent uncovering of unauthorized groups masquerading as federal bodies underscores the critical need for the 2026 TII, which evaluates public institutions across five core metrics, comprising fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption, and active citizens’ engagement.

To achieve these benchmarks and permanently lock out fraudulent actors, the SGF tasked heads of MDAs to maximize the use of modern technology. He directed that institutional websites, official staff directories, and data portals be updated regularly to provide accurate, timely, and user-friendly information—specifically regarding current budgets, public contracts, and official service delivery frameworks.

The comprehensive data disclosure, he noted, is critical to enabling citizens to verify legitimate government channels, track public resources, and engage constructively with the government.

Akume added that the TII initiative complements Nigeria’s ongoing public service reforms, existing anti-corruption frameworks, and the country’s statutory commitments under the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

The SGF acknowledged the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) for their consistency in sustaining the index. He called for a united front involving civil society organizations, professional bodies, media organizations, and development partners to effectively bring corruption and administrative fraud to its knees in Nigeria.