Economists and policy analysts have reacted to the recent ranking of Nigeria in the good governance index where the country performed below average, even as it fails to be among the top five countries in Africa.
Nigeria was recently ranked 116th in the 2025 edition of the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), a global benchmark that measures the effectiveness and capability of national governments.
The report, released by the Chandler Institute of Governance (CIG), reveals Nigeria’s struggles across key governance indicators and its failure to feature among the top five African countries.
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The Chandler Institute of Governance (CIG) is an international non-profit organisation headquartered in Singapore. It works with governments to build capabilities through training, hands-on projects and partnerships, and knowledge creation and sharing.
The Chandler Good Government Index, according to the institute, “shows why investing in strong government capabilities is vital to securing positive outcomes for citizens.”
The latest report assesses countries based on seven broad pillars with Nigeria’s performance showing deep structural governance challenges.
The country placed 110th in Leadership and Foresight, 112th in Robust Laws and Policies, 114th in Strong Institutions, 89th in Financial Stewardship, 114th in Attractive Marketplace, 112th in Global Influence and Reputation, and 120th in Helping People Rise.
Despite a relatively better standing in Financial Stewardship, Nigeria’s low scores in other areas illustrate the steep task facing policymakers in improving governance and strengthening public institutions.
Nigeria misses Africa’s top 5
Across Africa, Mauritius, Rwanda, Botswana, Morocco, and South Africa emerged as the top five performers, reflecting their relatively stronger governance frameworks and institutional resilience.
Of the 28 African countries ranked, only Tanzania and Rwanda showed notable improvements between 2021 and 2025, while most others, including Nigeria, dropped in position.
“Countries in Africa have seen mixed performance across the CGGI pillars. The region’s average score for Strong Institutions has improved, while those for Financial Stewardship, Global Influence & Reputation, and Helping People Rise, have declined, with the remaining two pillars recording flat performance. Of most concern is Financial Stewardship, which has experienced the most sustained decline, as fiscal envelopes tighten and government debt burdens bite across the region,” the report added.
The CGGI ranked the following African countries in its 2025 edition: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
What analysts are saying
Experts and analysts who spoke with Daily Trust said the report reflects the situation of the country and said it is a clarion call for the leadership to do better.
Dr. Jide Ojo, a public affairs analyst, said the report didn’t come to him as a surprise, saying it is just a reflection of the country’s situation.
According to him, Nigeria has never measured up in terms of good governance which explains why Nigeria has not performed e the Mo Ibrahim
He said, “When you talk about good governance, do we actually expect to rank top with the level of what currently goes on in the country in terms of dearth of dividends of democracy, rising cost of living, high level of corruption, and human rights abuses all over the place.
“It’s a reflection, it’s unfortunately the reflection of who we are. I don’t know about this chandler report, but remember that the Mo Ibrahim Index too has never ranked Nigeria in any high rating. And that’s why no Nigerian leader, either past or present has ever won the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Good Governance.”
‘We need to calibrate governance system’
He added, “But I should say it’s a work in progress, really. It is going to be like that for a very long time. Flip-flop, some three steps forward because in the real sense of it, when you look at governance system in Nigeria, we need to actually calibrate it.
“It’s not just the federal government. We have a three-tier governance system in Nigeria. And while the federal government may be pulling its weight in certain respects, you could see that the emperors at the state level have really not helped matters.
“And in any event, when you see the issue around security and welfare, which Section 40, subsection 2b of the Constitution reads to be the cardinal purposes of government, that the security and welfare of citizens shall be the primary purpose of government.
“When you look at what now happens across the states, across local governments, and among the three arms and three tiers of government, you will find that whatever Chandler has published is a true reflection of who we are.
“People in government may want to debunk that but the reality is when we say good governance, this is our 26th uninterrupted 4th republic and we have seen transitions from one party to another, from one government to the other but rather than things improving, it has been moving from bad to worse.”
“If you look at the poverty index, the poverty rate is higher, the cost of governance is increasing, the human rights abuse is outrageous, the welfare of citizens is secondary, even the elites, many of them would need a battalion of soldiers not even police to escort them to their country homes. So what kind of country are we? We are not at war, so the situation is very dire, we just live in hope for a better tomorrow. So I see it as a call to action but a true reflection of the current situation of things and it can get better.
“This is a challenge to the 11,082 political office holders in the country, it’s a call to action for all of us to double down on those things that will make life easier for the ordinary citizen.”
A top economist at Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Dr. Lawal Wasiu Omotayo, said Nigeria has not done well in the area of institutional reforms, judging from institutional indicators, despite some of the policies the government claims are working.
According to him, unless institutions are given proper attention, Nigeria may not be able to bridge the gaps in governance.
He explained that good governance indicators are key to building effective systems, but Nigeria is clearly lagging behind on the Kaufmann and Kraay governance index.
“The irony is that Nigeria is ranked the second most prayerful country in the world, yet it is also among the most corrupt according to Transparency International, because of weak governance indicators.
“Two of the most important indicators are voice and accountability, and quality of service. But how many people’s voices are really being heard in Nigeria and what is the quality of service delivery”, he queried.
He said, “In one of my recent publications, I examined the relevance of financial sector deepening and discovered that the quality of service delivery is comatose.
“Service providers responsible for ensuring electricity supply to small-scale enterprises are not performing their roles. As a result, many small businesses generate their own power, while some of the big companies that should be driving GDP growth are leaving the country due to governance failures.
“The reasons for such rankings are not far-fetched and are in the public domain. Our electoral system cannot boast of producing credible elections and leaders. For how long will we continue to condone vote buying? The country is like a vehicle with flat tyres, no horn, and a drunk driver. Such a scenario takes us nowhere”, he stated.
The economist added, “We are not even among the 100 most transparent countries in the world. Politicians loot our commonwealth and take it abroad, while institutions responsible for accountability operate selectively. How many public officeholders have truly been brought to book? Nigeria is in a complete coma, and all the governance indicators point directly to weak institutions. It is therefore not surprising that countries like South Africa and Morocco, with far smaller populations, are ranked ahead of Nigeria. Ordinarily, they should not even be competing with us. The capital base of just three banks in South Africa is more than Nigeria’s total GDP, simply because they operate in a workable environment.”
Dr. Omotayo added that Nigeria’s macroeconomic indicators such as GDP, inflation, and exchange rate, which should ordinarily strengthen the country’s outlook, are struggling for survival, noting that the nation does not even have a functional price control system and has become heavily import-dependent.
He observed that although the present administration may argue that it is performing well, policy lags mean the populace is not impacted immediately since there are no quick fixes in macroeconomics, and there are also no strong austerity measures to cushion the long-term effects of such policies.
He said going forward, once a problem is identified, the solution is already halfway found if there is political will, even though it may not be immediate.
He added, “An import-driven economy thrives on finished products, but production reduces unemployment, broadens the tax net, and reduces crime. Manufacturers must be given a conducive environment, free from excessive taxation that discourages infant industries. Only then will we see reduced interest rates. Nigeria’s currency is the naira, so why should the exchange rate be a determining factor for our economy?
“As an oil-dependent nation, we import refined products and take prices from the international market. We have no real say in platforms like BRICS, unlike South Africa which has domestic refining capacity. All our refineries must work at full capacity to end the endless cries over exchange rates.
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“The cost of governance has also become a serious burden, with bloated appointments and large entourages at the expense of the masses. We must critically examine this and reform our institutions. Agencies like the EFCC and others must be upright and independent, not under the control of the government of the day. It is unacceptable that a sitting governor can be suspended without consequences due to the absence of judicial reforms. Global indices like the corruption perception index, political risk indicators, and those from Freedom House capture these failings.
“When our institutions are properly strengthened, governance indicators will improve. Another challenge is financial deepening. The CBN continues to raise monetary policy rates, now around 27 percent, worsening inflation and making financial accessibility and borrowing difficult. This has a bandwagon effect on the entire economy,” he stressed.
On his part, a financial scholar, Professor Gafar Ijaya attributed Nigeria’s poor rankings and governance challenges to greed, which he said cuts across both leaders and followers.
He argued that although the collection and analysis of data for global rankings may sometimes be subjective, perception plays a significant role in economic assessments.
“Overall, the ranking may be right or wrong, but governance and leadership are about attitude, which is central to all the parameters used. Nigerians often lack the right attitude. At home, people misbehave, but outside the country, they comply, including academics and elites. The unfortunate reality is that greed has eaten deep into our fabric. How could someone own ten cars and billions of foreign currency stashed away in tax havens, as if they will never die?
“The greed is excessive. We have seen cars rot away after their owners’ deaths, while people derive joy in merely sending their children abroad. This is insanity. The development of China’s human resources model in 1978, with emphasis on character building and education, transformed the nation.
“The most important aspect of our lives which we have failed to build is character. The last time Nigeria had leaders of strong character was in the 1960s, when our nationalists initiated the Nigerian project. Unfortunately, the military accused them of corruption, removed them, and ended up bastardising the economy while institutionalising greed.
“This ranking is largely a perceptional study, but it is also a reflection of reality. Greed is killing Nigeria, both leaders and followers are neck-deep in it. Until there is a paradigm shift, this society will not thrive, not in this generation,” he said.
