The Transparency Watch Initiative has ranked the North East Development Commission and the Nigerian Communications Commission among the most outstanding public institutions in Nigeria in its latest Fiscal Responsibility and Institutional Performance Report.

The report, released in Abuja on Friday by the group’s executive director, Ifure Ataifure, assessed federal agencies on transparency practices, fiscal discipline, project implementation, regulatory efficiency, public responsiveness, and measurable contributions to national development goals.

According to the report, the NEDC and NCC emerged among the top-performing institutions alongside agencies such as the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Nigerian Ports Authority, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Debt Management Office, Nigeria Customs Service, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Rural Electrification Agency, and National Identity Management Commission.

The organisation stated that the rankings followed months of independent monitoring, field assessments, stakeholder engagement, and analysis of public sector performance indicators across key sectors of the economy.

Ataifure said the NEDC distinguished itself through its intervention-driven development model and visible impact across insurgency-affected communities in the North-East.

According to him, the commission demonstrated consistency in infrastructure rehabilitation, humanitarian intervention, healthcare delivery, housing projects, education support, and livelihood restoration programmes despite persistent security challenges within the region.

“The NEDC has shown measurable commitment to post-conflict recovery and institutional accountability in one of the most difficult operating environments in the country,” Ataifure said.

“At a time when public confidence in many government institutions remains weak, the commission has continued to demonstrate visible project execution and strategic coordination of development interventions across communities devastated by insurgency.”

The report added that the commission’s community-focused interventions and stakeholder engagement framework have contributed to strengthening confidence in government presence across several communities in the North-East.

On the telecommunications sector, the report described the NCC as one of Nigeria’s most stable and professionally managed regulatory institutions.

Ataifure noted that the commission had sustained regulatory consistency while driving broadband expansion, digital inclusion, consumer protection, and investor confidence within the telecommunications industry.

According to him, the NCC’s ability to maintain industry stability despite inflationary pressures, infrastructure constraints, and rising operational costs reflects institutional maturity and strategic leadership.

“The NCC remains one of the strongest examples of regulatory efficiency within Nigeria’s public sector,” he said.

“Its contribution to digital access, communications stability, broadband penetration, and economic productivity continues to position the telecommunications sector as one of the country’s most resilient growth drivers.”

The report also commended the commission’s balancing of consumer protection with investor sustainability, describing its regulatory approach as disciplined, predictable, and development-oriented.

Transparency Watch Initiative stated that both institutions demonstrated stronger institutional coherence than many public agencies often affected by bureaucratic inefficiency, weak implementation culture, and accountability challenges.

Ataifure added that while no public institution should be exempt from scrutiny, agencies delivering measurable public value deserve recognition in order to encourage a stronger culture of performance within public institutions.

According to him, Nigeria’s development aspirations would remain difficult to achieve unless government agencies embrace transparency, operational discipline, and results-oriented governance.

The report concluded that the performances recorded by the NEDC and NCC demonstrate that effective governance remains achievable when institutions are guided by competence, strategic leadership, and commitment to public service.