FG Directs MDAs to publish budget, contract, service details online

Federal Government has directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs to ensure that their websites and data portals carry accurate, timely and user-friendly information, including current budget, contract and service information.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Senator George Akume, gave the directive on Monday while delivering the keynote address at the presentation of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja.

Special Adviser to the SGF on Media and Publicity, Mr Yomi Odunuga, in a statement said Akume noted that the disclosures would enable citizens to engage government effectively and track how public resources are used. He told MDAs to take advantage of technology to achieve this.

Akume said the administration of President Bola Tinubu remains committed to open, accountable and responsible governance, adding that public institutions must ensure that their policies, programmes and actions are transparent, visible and understandable to Nigerians.

According to Akume, the Index has become a vital instrument for assessing accountability, openness and ethical standards across government institutions. It also gives MDAs clear benchmarks to identify areas of strength and gaps requiring improvement.

He urged heads of MDAs to build the findings and indicators of the Index into strategic planning, performance management, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training and digital disclosure, rather than allow the report to become another document left unused.

“The report should not sit on the shelf and should inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public,” he said.

The SGF said transparency should be viewed as an institutional asset rather than an administrative burden. Integrity, he added, must be embedded in the procedures and culture of public institutions through clear policies, proper record-keeping, effective oversight, ethical leadership and consequences for wrongdoing.

He said that the 2026 TII assesses public institutions in five critical areas: fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption, and citizens’ engagement. He added that the initiative complements existing public service reforms, anti-corruption measures and Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments.

Akume noted that the ultimate objective of transparency and integrity should go beyond institutional rankings to building public institutions that Nigerians can understand, engage with and hold accountable, while safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.

He commended the Bureau of Public Service Reforms BPSR and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity CeFTPI for sustaining the initiative. The SGF also called for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, professional bodies, development partners and the media in strengthening transparency and bringing corruption to its knees.

“The Federal Government remains fully committed to this goal. We will continue building institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and responsive to the needs of the people,” the SGF said.