FENRAD says Abia’s dead-last finish in the 2025 Subnational Audit Efficacy Index is not a mere embarrassment but a flashing red warning over weak oversight, poor disclosure and broken accountability.
Abia State has been exposed as Nigeria’s worst performer on audit transparency after posting a miserable 9 per cent in the 2025 Subnational Audit Efficacy Index.
The ranking, released by the Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative, placed Abia 36th out of 36 states and far below the national average of 34.5 per cent.
For critics, the score is not just poor. It is alarming.
It suggests that the machinery meant to check waste, detect abuse and force transparency is either too weak or too compromised to do its job.
The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, FENRAD, has now stepped into the storm with a blunt warning that Abia’s performance reflects deeper failures in fiscal governance.
In a statement issued on April 6, the group said the ranking points to “critical accountability gaps” in the state’s system.
It cited weak financial autonomy for audit institutions, poor publication of audit reports and ineffective legislative oversight as major faults.
“Abia State’s position at the bottom of the 2025 Subnational Audit Efficacy Index is a clear indication of systemic weaknesses in fiscal governance and accountability,” the group said.
“This is not merely a ranking. It is a reflection of the urgent need for institutional reforms, transparency in public financial management, and political will to implement audit recommendations.”
That warning carries serious weight.
A state that cannot publish its audit reports, strengthen its watchdog institutions or enforce legislative scrutiny is a state inviting waste, secrecy and public distrust.
FENRAD said Abia’s position is even more disturbing because it lags behind all its South-East neighbours, most of which are also struggling.
According to the report, Anambra scored 24 per cent, Ebonyi and Enugu 21 per cent each, while Imo posted 18 per cent.
“It is even more concerning that Abia lags behind its South-East counterparts. Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo are all already performing below the national average. This highlights a widening accountability gap that requires immediate and deliberate corrective actions,” FENRAD added.
The implication is clear.
Abia is not merely underperforming nationally. It is also trailing the rest of its own region.
That is a dangerous place to be in a country where transparency is often the first casualty of bad governance.
The subnational audit index has become a crucial mirror for measuring how seriously states take public accountability.
Its focus is simple but powerful.
Are audit institutions independent?
Are audit reports published on time?
Does the legislature act on the findings?
Are public funds tracked openly enough for citizens to know what is happening?
On Abia’s showing, the answer appears grim.
FENRAD warned that the consequences of such weakness go far beyond statistics.
It said the state risks eroding public trust, wasting scarce resources, delivering poor services and exposing itself to greater corruption.
That is the real danger of audit failure.
When public money disappears into weak systems, hospitals suffer, schools struggle, roads decay and citizens pay the price.
FENRAD therefore urged the Abia State Government to stop talking and start acting.
It called for stronger audit institutions, timely release of financial reports and more effective legislative oversight.
“We call on the Abia State Government to move beyond rhetoric and demonstrate concrete commitment to fiscal transparency and accountability,” the statement said.
“Citizens deserve to know how public funds are managed, and governance must reflect openness, responsibility, and measurable performance.”
The group also appealed to the State House of Assembly, civil society organisations and development partners to join forces in reversing the trend.
Its message was unmistakable.
Accountability cannot be left to slogans. It must be built into the system.
The latest ranking also raises uncomfortable questions about the state of the Office of the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committee, both of which should be central to oversight.
FENRAD said Abia must strengthen audit institutions by ensuring full financial and administrative autonomy for the Office of the Auditor-General.
It also called for the timely publication of audit reports so the public can access audited financial statements without obstruction.
Equally important, it said the Public Accounts Committee must be revived and made effective enough to track and implement audit recommendations.
That is where many states fail.
Reports are written. Findings are buried. Recommendations are ignored. And the cycle repeats.
FENRAD wants that cycle broken.
It also stressed the need for open budgeting, stronger civic engagement and public accountability platforms that allow citizens to monitor how money is spent.
These are not cosmetic reforms.
They are the bare minimum for any government that claims to respect democracy and public trust.
For Abia, the message from this ranking is brutal but simple.
A 9 per cent score is not a technical issue.
It is a political warning.
It says the state’s audit culture is weak, its transparency architecture is fragile and its commitment to accountability is in serious doubt.
Unless urgent action follows, the score may become a symbol of broader governance decline.
And in a state already under pressure from public expectations, economic hardship and rising demands for better service delivery, that would be a costly failure indeed.
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