Fresh PEBEC Report Exposes Underperforming MDAs, States in Nigeria’s Ease of Doing Business Drive

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has released new assessments revealing widespread underperformance across several federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as some states, in the ongoing push to improve Nigeria’s business climate.

The findings were published in the latest Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Performance Report and the Subnational Ease of Doing Business Report, both of which reviewed public service delivery and reform implementation nationwide.

According to PEBEC, the 2025 BFA assessment is the most extensive since the Act came into force, covering 69 MDAs between January and October 2025. The evaluation focused on key indicators such as transparency, efficiency, responsiveness, compliance with service-level agreements, and digital readiness.

The report shows that several major agencies fell short of national expectations. The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) ranked lowest with a score of 3%, emerging as the weakest performer among all MDAs evaluated. The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) followed with 12.7%, despite its crucial role in digital identification.

Other poorly rated agencies include the Joint Tax Board (14.6%), the National Bureau of Statistics (14.9%), the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (14.5%), and the Federal Produce Inspection Service (16%). The Nigerian Postal Service (17.1%) and the Ministry of Interior (19.5%) also featured near the bottom of the rankings.

In contrast, earlier assessments showed the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) leading the 2025 Ease of Doing Business rankings, 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 identified Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Ondo, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara as states trailing in business environment reforms.

The top-performing states during the review period were Lagos, Kaduna, Oyo, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ogun, Enugu, Plateau, Ekiti, Kano, and Nasarawa.

PEBEC cautioned that unless urgent reforms are undertaken in low-performing agencies, the country will continue to face inconsistencies that undermine investor confidence. The council emphasized that public-sector reform must go beyond meeting checklists, describing it as vital for enhancing government efficiency and driving sustainable economic growth.