By NEWSCOUNT Desk
Phillips Consulting has revised its 2026 State Performance Index Report, placing Abia State second nationally with a composite score of 0.55 and recording the country’s biggest momentum gain across the three editions of the assessment.
The revised report followed a comprehensive review and audit of the methodology used in the initial assessment. It places Jigawa State first, followed by Abia State in second position and Enugu State in third.
Abia recorded a 34-place improvement in its ranking trajectory, moving from 36th position in 2024 to 10th in 2025 and second in 2026. According to the revised assessment, this represents the largest overall gain among the 33 states ranked in the 2026 edition.
Phillips Consulting initially launched the 2026 National Assessment Report on July 23, 2026, using a single Momentum Index to rank states based on a blended score. Following a detailed review, the methodology was audited, identified issues were corrected and the results recalculated.
The revised edition now separates current performance from progress over time, providing both a 2026 performance snapshot and a ranking trajectory showing how each state’s position has changed across the three editions.
Under the revised methodology, momentum is measured by changes in performance ranking rather than differences in scores generated using different scales. On that basis, Abia’s movement from 36th to 10th and then second translates into a net gain of 34 places, the largest overall improvement recorded in the 2026 assessment.
The revised findings place Abia at the forefront of the South-East and among the country’s strongest performers in the 2026 assessment.
The state’s strongest pillar was citizen satisfaction, where it recorded a standardised score of +1.78. Abia’s citizen satisfaction score stood at 3.92, classified as “Good”, based on 770 responses.
Residents gave the highest ratings to government support for business at 4.45, roads at 4.42 and publicity of government policies at 4.33. Areas with comparatively lower ratings included finding employment at 3.12, clean water at 3.22 and law-enforcement conduct at 3.56.
The state’s fiscal indicators showed 27 per cent revenue self-reliance, internally generated revenue per capita of approximately ₦13,100, debt per capita of approximately ₦31,300, a 36 per cent debt-to-revenue ratio and a 70 per cent capital expenditure share.
The revised report also changed the way transparency is assessed, with states now evaluated according to the date on which their audited accounts were published in relation to the statutory deadline. States without qualifying accounts are left unscored rather than automatically receiving zero.
Accordingly, Abia’s transparency score was recorded at 0.38, with the revised report adopting the state’s FY2025 audited accounts in place of the FY2024 financial figures used at the initial launch.
Phillips Consulting also revised its assessment of debt sustainability to consider both debt per capita and debt relative to revenue, providing a broader measure of each state’s fiscal position.
The South-East featured prominently in the revised report, recording some of the strongest improvements nationally. Abia ranked second nationally, while Enugu ranked third.
The report identifies Abia as the momentum leader, while Jigawa occupies the top position in the 2026 performance snapshot. The distinction is based on the fact that the performance ranking measures where states stand in the current edition, while the momentum measure tracks how their positions have changed over time.
The revised assessment combines citizen experience, fiscal sustainability, revenue performance, transparency and each state’s trajectory across the three editions.
Commenting on the revised findings, Abia State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, said the assessment provides a comprehensive picture of the state’s performance based on the revised methodology and the indicators covered by the report.
He said the findings place Abia among Nigeria’s leading states in the 2026 performance snapshot while identifying the state as the country’s strongest mover over the period covered by the assessment.
