Introduction:
In 2016 I submitted to President Buhari a comprehensive and detailed proposal for the setting up of a PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORKS across all sectors of governance. I called it INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION OFFICE (IPMEO) that will be reporting directly to Mr President. I even offered to work with whoever was appointed to head such an office in a consulting or permanent position. I never received a response and I am sure it never got to President Buhari’s table.
Last year I did a similar proposal to the present government because it is listed in their Economic blueprint, as one of the offices to be set, but I received no response and I am also sure that President Tinubu has not seen my letter till now.
In a century characterized by data-driven decision-making, global competitiveness, and rising public expectations, governments across the world have shifted from opacity to accountability. Central to this shift is the institutionalization of Performance Evaluation Systems (PES)—a framework for tracking government efficacy, service delivery, and fiscal responsibility. For Nigeria, grappling with economic stagnation, institutional inefficiency, and citizen disenchantment, the time is ripe to embrace performance-based governance as a national doctrine. Beyond a reformist slogan, it must become the barometer of government legitimacy and a tool for national redemption.
Global Benchmarks: The Case for Performance Evaluation
Across continents, performance evaluation is no longer experimental—it is existential. The World Bank and OECD report that over 80% of advanced and emerging economies have embedded performance frameworks in public administration. Consider a few illustrative examples:
Singapore, ranked 4th globally in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index (2023), credits much of its success to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) embedded in every ministry. Their Civil Service Performance Appraisal System links staff promotions and budgetary allocations to measurable outcomes. Today, Singapore has one of the most efficient bureaucracies and lowest corruption indices globally.
Rwanda, a post-genocide miracle, institutionalized Imihigo (performance contracts) in 2006. Every district mayor and minister signs annual performance agreements evaluated publicly. As a result, Rwanda’s public service satisfaction rose from 46% in 2008 to 87% in 2022 (Rwanda Governance Board), while its GDP grew at an average of 7.5% annually from 2010 to 2019.
In South Korea, the Government Performance Evaluation Committee ties policy continuation to impact assessment. From 2000 to 2020, this model propelled South Korea to become the world’s 10th largest economy with record investments in education, technology, and healthcare.
The United States applies the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), mandating agencies to produce strategic plans, annual performance plans, and performance reports. Between 2010 and 2020, the U.S. saved over $125 billion by identifying underperforming programs and redirecting funds accordingly.
These nations demonstrate that performance evaluation is not a mere bureaucratic ritual—it is a development catalyst.
Nigeria’s Situation: Wasting Without Measuring
Despite Nigeria’s abundant human and natural resources, we continue to rank low on global development indices: Ranked 154th on the Human Development Index (UNDP 2023), with over 63% of the population multidimensionally poor (NBS 2022), and a civil service plagued by redundancy and opacity.
Billions are spent annually, yet ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) rarely publish verifiable results. Budget performance remains speculative, and the link between policy and outcome is tenuous. The absence of a unified National Performance Evaluation Framework (NPEF) means that poor performance is neither sanctioned nor corrected, while excellence is neither rewarded nor replicated.
The Nigerian Imperative: Why Performance Evaluation is a Game-Changer
1. Economic Rationalization and Fiscal Prudence
With dwindling oil revenues and rising debt (over N97 trillion as of Q1 2025, DMO), Nigeria must ensure value for money. A national performance framework can identify wasteful projects, eliminate redundancy, and reallocate resources to high-impact sectors.
2. Accountability and Public Trust
Citizens are more likely to trust institutions that are measurable and transparent. A public performance dashboard (akin to India’s PRAGATI platform) can provide quarterly updates on federal and state project performance, promoting participatory governance.
3. Civil Service Reform and Efficiency
Linking career progression, salary scales, and departmental budgets to performance metrics will rekindle a culture of excellence in the civil service, Nigeria’s largest employer.
4. Investment Attraction
Foreign investors analyze governance indicators before committing. A well-documented, performance-oriented bureaucracy signals seriousness, stability, and sustainability—key to unlocking FDIs and PPPs.
5. Improved Service Delivery
In health, education, infrastructure, and security, performance dashboards can provide real-time visibility. For instance, school enrolment, maternal mortality, or power supply per region can be tracked, incentivizing proactive governance.
The Architecture of Implementation: How Nigeria Can Begin
1. Create a Federal Performance Evaluation Agency (FPEA) under the Presidency or the Office of the SGF, with mandate to:
Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for all MDAs.
Conduct quarterly evaluations.
Publish national performance scorecards.
Reward excellence and sanction failure.
2. Enact a Performance Governance Act, mandating all levels of government (including LGAs) to submit annual performance plans and reports.
3. Leverage Technology and Data Analytics.
Develop a real-time digital dashboard (like Kenya’s Huduma platform) that tracks budget implementation and project milestones accessible to all Nigerians.
4. Build Capacity and political will train a new generation of performance officers across ministries. political leaders must champion evaluation not as punishment, but as progress.
Conclusion: Measuring to Manage, Evaluating to Excel
Nigeria cannot develop what it does not measure. In a complex 21st-century world, hope and good intentions are not strategies—performance is. Nations that prosper do not do so by accident; they set targets, monitor outcomes, and learn from failure. The adoption of a comprehensive, institutionalized performance evaluation framework is no longer optional; it is existential.
Let Nigeria rise to this call—not with rhetoric, but with reforms; not with excuses, but with execution. For only then shall our budgets build, our policies prosper, and our future flourish.
Sam Eno, PhD. (Strategic Operations Management), is a former Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs
