Anambra State has emerged as Nigeria’s best-performing state in the 2025 Fiscal Performance Ranking, according to the latest State of States Report released by BudgIT, a civic-tech organisation promoting fiscal transparency and accountability.

The report, titled “A Decade of Subnational Fiscal Analysis: Growth, Decline, and Middling Performance,” marks ten years of BudgIT’s assessment of fiscal sustainability and governance across Nigeria’s 36 states.

BudgIT revealed that Anambra rose from second position in 2024 to first place in 2025, securing the top spot as Nigeria’s most fiscally sustainable state.

Lagos, Kwara, Abia, and Edo completed the top five, while Cross River experienced a sharp drop from 5th position in 2024 to 30th in 2025.

Rivers State, a regular top performer, was excluded from this year’s ranking following a state of emergency that hindered the release of its audited financial statements.

BudgIT noted key shifts among states:

• Anambra moved from 2nd to 1st place.
• Lagos retained its 2nd position.
• Kwara climbed from 4th to 3rd.
• Abia entered the top five for the first time, ranking 4th.
• Edo rejoined the top five after several years in the top ten.

Other notable improvements included Akwa Ibom, which jumped 17 places from 27th to 10th, and Zamfara, which rose nine places from 26th to 17th.
At the bottom of the table were Imo, Kogi, Jigawa, Benue, and Yobe.

The 2025 report evaluated 35 states (excluding Rivers) using five fiscal indicators:

1. Ability to meet operating expenses using only Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
2. Year-on-year IGR growth rate.
3. Capacity to cover total expenses and loans without borrowing.
4. Debt sustainability, measured by debt-to-revenue and debt-service ratios.
5. Capital expenditure prioritisation over recurrent costs.

BudgIT observed significant changes in states’ revenue patterns.
In 2024, only Rivers (121.26%) and Lagos (118.39%) covered operating expenses with IGR.

Following Rivers’ exclusion, Enugu now leads with an impressive 146.68%, while Lagos remains a strong performer at 120.87%.

Only five states, Anambra, Abia, Kwara, Ogun, and Edo, generated enough IGR to fund at least half of their operating expenses, compared to six in 2024.

Meanwhile, 14 states now require five times their IGR to cover running costs, highlighting worsening fiscal fragility and dependence on federal allocations.

Abia State led the country in capital expenditure, devoting 77.05% of its 2024 budget to capital projects.

Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, and Taraba also allocated over 70% of their budgets to capital spending.

In contrast, Bauchi, Ekiti, Delta, Benue, Oyo, and Ogun spent over 60% on personnel and overheads, reflecting inefficiencies in fiscal prioritisation.

Aggregate subnational revenue increased sharply from ₦6.6 trillion in 2022 to ₦14.4 trillion in 2024, representing a 66.28% year-on-year growth, largely driven by a 110.74% surge in FAAC transfers to ₦11.38 trillion.

Lagos alone accounted for 13.42% of total subnational revenue (₦1.93 trillion).
States such as Oyo (785.79%), Delta (708.36%), and Anambra (640.98%) recorded remarkable FAAC growth over the past decade.

Despite these gains, 28 states still rely on federal transfers for more than 55% of their revenue, underscoring continued dependence on FAAC allocations.

Total subnational debt rose modestly from ₦9.89 trillion in 2023 to ₦10.57 trillion in 2024, an increase of 6.8%.

The five most indebted states, Lagos, Kaduna, Edo, Ogun, and Bauchi, accounted for over half (50.32%) of all subnational debt.

Encouragingly, 31 states reduced their domestic debt by at least ₦10 billion, while total foreign debt declined by over $200 million, showing gradual progress in debt management.

The report revealed mixed outcomes in social spending.
States collectively spent ₦1.61 trillion (66.9%) of their ₦2.41 trillion education budget, with Edo, Delta, and Katsina exceeding 100% implementation.

Per capita education spending averaged ₦6,981, with only eight states surpassing ₦10,000.

In health, states spent ₦816.64 billion (61.9%) of their ₦1.32 trillion allocation.

Yobe led the sector with 98.2% execution, followed by Gombe, Ekiti, Lagos, Edo, Delta, and Bauchi.
Average per capita health spending was ₦3,483, indicating persistent service delivery gaps.

Commenting on the findings, Vahyala Kwaga, BudgIT’s Head of Research, said the 10th edition of the State of States report underscores the urgent need for fiscal reform at the subnational level.

“Fiscal sustainability demands that states look inward, strengthening revenue systems, cutting waste, and prioritising infrastructure and human capital investments that deliver long-term value,” he said.

The 2025 report paints a mixed picture: while Anambra, Lagos, and Kwara show strong fiscal discipline and investment focus, most states remain overdependent on federal allocations, with limited progress toward self-sustaining governance.

Election season in Nigeria often ushers in a wave of ambition, open contests, and political realignments. But what happens when the gate to participation is closed, not by law, but by the political establishment itself?

This question came to the fore on Monday, October 28, 2025, when former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, arrived at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national secretariat in Abuja.

His mission was straightforward: to purchase the nomination and expression-of-interest forms to contest for the position of national chairman of the party.

However, Lamido reportedly left empty-handed, denied the opportunity to buy the forms and effectively, barred from entering the race.

The development has sparked conversations within political circles about internal democracy, party control, and the influence of power blocs within Nigeria’s major political parties.

In your opinion, why did the PDP refuse to sell the forms to him?

What official reasons has the party offered?AL

What does this episode reveal about the state of democracy and fairness in Nigeria’s political system?

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has officially recognised the faction of the party in Adamawa State led by Barrister Sadiq Dasin, effectively settling the lingering leadership tussle within the state chapter.

The party has been embroiled in an internal crisis, with two rival groups, one led by Sadiq Dasin and the other by Saidu Komsiri, each claiming legitimacy over the state chairmanship.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, confirmed that the National Working Committee (NWC) had validated the leadership of Dasin following a review of recent developments within the state chapter.

“After due investigations, the party considers the Saturday, October 25 process supervised by the National Vice Chairman for the North East, which produced Barrister Sadiq Dasin as the interim chairman in Adamawa State, to be in line with NWC approval and guidelines,” the statement read in part.

Abdullahi added that the NWC, at its October 8, 2025 meeting, had resolved to set up Interim Executive Committees across various states to manage party affairs pending full congresses.

The national leadership urged all party members involved in parallel structures to “rethink and follow the path of reconciliation,” while advising the newly endorsed leadership to extend an olive branch to aggrieved members.

“The party will not tolerate any act of indiscipline capable of jeopardising efforts to build a strong and truly democratic organisation,” Abdullahi warned.

The Dasin-led faction has received backing from several prominent political figures, including former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, who described it as the authentic leadership of the ADC in Adamawa.

Others who have thrown their support behind Dasin include former Governor Jibrilla Bindow, Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako, and Senator Elisha Abbo.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar also endorsed the group, stating in a social media post that he hoped the inauguration of the faction would “strengthen the party’s structure and unify ADC members in Adamawa State.”

However, the rival faction led by Saidu Komsiri insists it remains the legitimate leadership.
Backed by Aisha Binani, a former senator and ADC governorship candidate, Komsiri pledged to work toward reconciliation and unity.

“I’ll reconcile aggrieved members and promote unity among all stakeholders,” he said during a media briefing in Yola, the Adamawa capital.

A mild drama unfolded on Tuesday in Abuja when former Edo deputy governors, Philip Shaibu and Godwin Omobayo, clashed over who was the legitimate representative of Edo State at the Former Deputy Governors’ Forum’s fourth annual national conference.

The disagreement began after Omobayo was introduced as the “former deputy governor of Edo State,” prompting Shaibu to rise in protest, claiming the introduction was improper.

The situation momentarily disrupted proceedings as both men argued over who held the rightful claim to the title.

Speaking to journalists after calm was restored, Shaibu insisted that Omobayo was “never elected by the people,” alleging he was “brought in through the backdoor.”

He maintained that a court had declared his impeachment illegal, asserting that his office was never validly vacated.

In response, Omobayo expressed disappointment at the confrontation, describing it as “almost a national embarrassment.”

He clarified that he had not imposed himself in office, saying, “I never made myself deputy governor.”

Omobayo added that he still regarded Shaibu as “an elder brother,” urging him to accept the court’s decision as “a reality of life.”

Shaibu had served as deputy governor under Governor Godwin Obaseki until his impeachment in April 2024.

He was replaced by Omobayo Godwins, but a subsequent court ruling later nullified the impeachment and reinstated Shaibu to office.