Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has scored another major governance victory as Delta State emerged the second-best governed state in Nigeria in the 2025 Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS) Governance Performance Index (CGPI).
The latest ranking placed Delta State second nationwide with a score of 70 per cent, trailing only Kaduna State, which topped the chart with 73 per cent.
The report is a significant boost for the Oborevwori administration, whose MORE Agenda has driven massive investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education and public service delivery across the state.
According to the governance index, Delta outperformed 34 other states, cementing its place among Nigeria’s leading states in governance and development.
Anambra State under Governor Charles Soludo came third with 65.5 per cent, while Niger State, led by Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, secured fourth position with 65.1 per cent.
Ekiti State followed in fifth place with 64.5 per cent, while Akwa Ibom and Lagos States shared sixth and seventh positions respectively with 64 per cent each.
Oyo State placed eighth with 61 per cent, followed by Enugu State with 56.5 per cent, while Borno State completed the top ten with 54 per cent.
The CIAPS Governance Performance Index assessed governors across Nigeria’s 36 states, measuring their effectiveness in governance, public administration, infrastructure development and service delivery.
The report noted that Delta’s strong performance reflects the impact of ongoing development projects and governance reforms being implemented by the Oborevwori administration.
Political observers say the ranking is further evidence of growing public confidence in the governor’s leadership style and commitment to delivering democratic dividends to Deltans.
In the middle-tier category, Kwara, Abia, Ondo, Nasarawa, Osun, Ogun, Kano, Kogi, Edo and Jigawa occupied positions 11 to 20.
At the lower end of the table, Taraba State ranked last with a governance score of 20 per cent, while Yobe, Benue, Rivers, Plateau and Kebbi also featured among the bottom-performing states.
The Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies said the Governance Performance Index serves as a benchmark for assessing the effectiveness of state governments while promoting accountability, transparency and sustainable development across the country.
For Delta, the latest ranking is being seen as a major endorsement of Governor Oborevwori’s governance approach and a testament to the impact of his administration’s development agenda.
