In a striking revelation that has sent ripples across Nigeria’s public service landscape, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) along with twelve other Federal Government ministries and agencies recorded nil points on the latest integrity evaluation conducted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The results, published by the ICPC on Wednesday, underscore deep-seated weaknesses in institutional accountability and ethical standards across key government bodies.
The ICPC unveiled its Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard for the 2025 assessment year, a diagnostic tool designed to measure transparency, ethical conduct and compliance with statutory requirements across federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). The scorecard examines performance against four critical pillars: Management Culture and Structure, Financial Management Systems, Administrative Systems, and the presence and effectiveness of Anti-corruption and Transparency Units.
Of 360 MDAs targeted in the assessment, three were exempted, leaving 357 effectively assessed. What emerged from the evaluation was sobering: the NNPC, a cornerstone institution in Nigeria’s vital oil and gas sector, received a score of zero across all four pillars and was placed at the very bottom of the list. This placed it among thirteen MDAs the commission classified as “high-risk” institutions due to their non-responsive status to the assessment process.
The scorecard findings revealed that only a small fraction of government agencies demonstrated substantial adherence to ethical and procedural standards. Just 48 MDAs, representing approximately 14 per cent, showed substantial compliance with the criteria. A further 132, or around 38 per cent, achieved only partial compliance, while 141 agencies – nearly 41 per cent – showed poor compliance overall. Additionally, 23 MDAs were adjudged non-compliant, failing to meet minimum standards required by the commission. No ministry, department or agency achieved full compliance.
The stark results highlight significant gaps in governance structures, internal controls, and transparency mechanisms within Nigeria’s public sector. Commenting on the assessment, the ICPC representative emphasised that the scorecard is intended not merely as a ranking exercise but as a practical tool to promote integrity, accountability, efficiency and productivity in government business.
Among the other institutions that failed to record any score alongside NNPC were the Institute of Archaeology and Museum Studies in Jos, the Federal Civil Service Commission in Abuja, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, and several educational and development authorities, including the University of Calabar and the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority in Ilorin.
In contrast, a handful of agencies distinguished themselves with far stronger performances. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission topped the list with a score of 91.83, while other high-performers included the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Commission, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria and the Bank of Industry. These agencies demonstrated robust frameworks for integrity and internal governance, setting benchmarks for their peers.
The ICPC has indicated that it will continue administering the Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard in future cycles and has warned that agencies with persistently low or non-responsive scores will be subjected to profiling through system studies and, where necessary, enforcement action. These measures aim to encourage sustained improvement and adherence to established governance standards.
The findings arrive amid growing public and expert scrutiny of institutional performance and ethical conduct across the Nigerian public sector. Analysts argue that the abysmal scores by critical agencies, especially those entrusted with managing the nation’s revenue and regulatory functions, erode public confidence and may have profound implications for service delivery, economic stability and investor confidence.
Efforts to reach NNPC for comment on the scorecard outcome were unsuccessful; the company’s spokesperson did not respond to calls or messages seeking clarification at the time of filing.
As the discourse around public sector integrity intensifies, the ICPC’s latest assessment serves as both a stark diagnostic indicator and a call to action for meaningful reforms to strengthen governance, uphold ethical norms, and restore trust in Nigeria’s institutions.
