Kaduna and Delta states have been ranked as Nigeria’s two best-governed states in the 2025 Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies Governance Performance Index, with Kaduna State under Governor Uba Sani leading with a score of 73 percent and Delta State under Governor Sheriff Oborevwori placing second with 70 percent.

Anambra State under Governor Chukwuma Soludo ranked third with 65.5 percent, while Niger State under Governor Mohammed Umar Bago placed fourth at 65.1 percent. Ekiti State under Governor Biodun Oyebanji came fifth with 64.5 percent. Akwa Ibom under Governor Umo Eno and Lagos under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu each scored 64 percent to jointly occupy the sixth and seventh positions. Oyo State under Governor Seyi Makinde secured eighth place with 61 percent, Enugu under Governor Peter Mbah placed ninth with 56.5 percent, and Borno under Governor Babagana Zulum completed the top ten with 54 percent.

In the middle tier, Kwara, Abia, Ondo, Nasarawa, Osun, Ogun, Kano, Kogi, Edo, and Jigawa occupied positions 11 to 20. Taraba State ranked last among the 36 states with a score of 20 percent, with Yobe, Benue, Rivers, Plateau, and Kebbi also among the bottom performers.

The Commonwealth Institute said the Governance Performance Index served as a benchmark for evaluating the effectiveness of state governments and promoting accountability, transparency, and sustainable development across the federation.