By Solomon Essiet
Akwa Ibom State has again received national attention for the right reasons. In the recent Governance Performance Index published by the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies, CIAPS, the state was ranked sixth among Nigeria’s top-performing states in governance.
This recognition is important, especially at a time when some critics continue to ask what Governor Umo Eno is doing with Akwa Ibom State funds. The answer is becoming clearer, not only through projects on the ground, but also through independent assessments that measure governance performance across the country.
CIAPS is not an unknown institution. The Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies is a professional graduate school founded in England in 2013 to equip professionals with global best practices through demanding academic and professional programmes.
Its Governance Performance Index was created to benchmark, document and measure good governance in states, organisations and public projects. The idea is to provide a transparent and objective way of assessing how public institutions are managed and how government performance can be tracked over time.
CIAPS has, over the years, released important governance-related reports, including its E-Governance Report in partnership with Nigeria Panorama, which reviewed the adoption of digital tools across Nigeria’s 36 states. In its broader governance assessment, Akwa Ibom State was listed among top-ranking states such as Kaduna, Lagos and Delta.
I have deliberately gone into the background of CIAPS because some people will still try to dismiss the report. The next argument from the never-tired critics of Governor Eno may be that he established CIAPS just to rate himself highly. That is how opposition for the sake of opposition works; once some people make up their minds against a leader, nothing that leader does will ever make sense to them.
Rev. Dr. Hilkah Eliathah, Secretary of the International Christian Worship Centre, Uyo, captured the significance of the rating very well. According to him, the recognition is “a clear testament to the exceptional, visionary, and people-oriented leadership of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, whose administration has continued to set new standards in governance, transparency, accountability, infrastructure development, human capital advancement, rural transformation, and public service delivery.”
Akwa Ibom’s emergence among Nigeria’s top-performing states in the 2025 CIAPS Governance Performance Index is therefore not surprising. It reflects the Governor’s steady commitment to the ARISE Agenda and his deliberate investments in the welfare of the people.
The ranking also confirms that the state is on the right path under a Governor whose leadership is producing visible and measurable results. Across sectors, the administration is strengthening institutions, improving service delivery and positioning Akwa Ibom as a serious model for good governance and sustainable development in Nigeria.
Akwa Ibom State was ranked among the country’s ten best-governed states with a score of 64 percent in the 2025 CGPI assessment. The score highlights the state’s performance across key governance indicators, including e-governance, transparency, accountability, institutional effectiveness and public service delivery.
It is also important to note that CIAPS is not generous with scores. For Akwa Ibom to score 64 percent and still rank among the ten most performing states in Nigeria shows the level of discipline behind the assessment. It also shows that the rating was not based on sentiment, noise or political patronage.
The state’s placement among the leading states reflects its rising profile in public sector management, institutional reforms, improved service delivery and citizen-focused governance. These are not accidental achievements. They are the results of planning, commitment and a leadership style that places development above propaganda.
The ranking further underscores the importance of sustained investment in critical areas such as education, agriculture, tourism, rural development, innovation, transparency and efficient public institutions. These are the pillars that drive long-term growth and improve the quality of life of the people.
This recognition has again confirmed Governor Eno’s capacity to govern effectively. It is a testament to the development milestones recorded by the State Government as it continues to build stronger institutions, improve governance systems and create an environment that supports economic and social development.
The inclusion of Akwa Ibom State among Nigeria’s top-performing states also shows why data-driven governance assessments matter. They help measure progress beyond political noise and make it easier to identify states that are making deliberate efforts to improve administrative efficiency and public service outcomes.
Most importantly, a Governor who has paid over ₦83 billion out of inherited gratuity arrears, built more than 438 ARISE Compassionate Homes, delivered over 1,000 housing units, constructed more than 1,300 kilometres of roads, and empowered traders and farmers with over ₦10 billion in grants deserves serious recognition.
A Governor who is building model schools, model healthcare centres across the 31 Local Government Areas, investing heavily in human capital development and driving rural transformation cannot be ignored in any honest assessment of governance performance in Nigeria.
Akwa Ibom is rising, and the evidence is there for those willing to see it. The CIAPS ranking is not the beginning of the story and it will not be the end. It is simply another confirmation that under Governor Umo Eno, Akwa Ibom State is moving with purpose, discipline and visible results.
Arise, that same God.
Pastor Solomon Essiet, ACIA
Special Assistant on New Media to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State
— Newspot Nigeria
