Why US report on Nigeria’s fiscal policy is faulty – Analyst, Ude
John Ude, a public affairs analyst and legal practitioner, has criticized the recent assessment of Nigeria’s fiscal transparency by the United States, calling it flawed.
In a statement released on Friday, Ude argued that the U.S. evaluation does not accurately reflect the available fiscal information regarding Nigeria. The assessment, published by the U.S. Department of State as part of its 2026 Fiscal Transparency data, assigned a low score to the Nigerian government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing issues in fiscal disclosure.
The report indicated that Nigeria failed to meet minimum fiscal transparency requirements for a second consecutive year, stating that there had been negligible improvements in financial management for 2025.
Ude contended that the U.S. report should not be seen as an exhaustive review of Nigeria’s fiscal performance. He pointed out that the assessment acknowledges the publication of the government’s enacted budget, end-of-year reports, and debt information, which suggests that certain transparency mechanisms are indeed in place.
“While we recognize that Nigeria has not achieved perfection in fiscal transparency, there are certainly areas that need improvement,” Ude noted. He emphasized that particular attention is needed regarding procurement disclosures, the effectiveness of audits, and the timely release of some fiscal documents.
