The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has released fresh assessments exposing several federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as some states of underperformance in Nigeria’s ease of doing business reforms.
The findings were contained in the newly published Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Performance and Subnational Ease of Doing Business Reports, which evaluated the quality of public service delivery across the country.
According to PEBEC, the 2025 BFA report is the most comprehensive assessment since the Act came into effect, reviewing 69 MDAs between January and October 2025. The evaluation focused on transparency, efficiency, responsiveness, service-level agreement (SLA) compliance, and digital readiness.
The report revealed that several key agencies performed below national expectations. The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) ranked last with a score of just 3 percent, the weakest performance among all 69 MDAs. The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) followed with 12.7 percent, despite its central role in digital identity and verification.
Other agencies which got poor rating included the Joint Tax Board (14.6 percent), the National Bureau of Statistics (14.9 percent), the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (14.5 percent), and the Federal Produce Inspection Service (16 percent). The Nigerian Postal Service (17.1 percent) and the Ministry of Interior (19.5 percent) also featured among the lowest performers.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) topped the 2025 rankings on Ease of Doing Business. It was followed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
At the subnational level, PEBEC listed Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Ondo, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara as states lagging behind in ease of doing business reforms.
The top-performing states for the period under review were Lagos, Kaduna, Oyo, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ogun, Enugu, Plateau, Ekiti, Kano, and Nasarawa.
PEBEC however warned that without urgent reforms in underperforming agencies, Nigeria will face persistent inconsistencies in its business environment.
The council stressed that public-sector reform must go beyond box-ticking, describing it as essential for boosting investor confidence, improving government efficiency, and supporting sustainable economic growth.
Michael Olugbode
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