State governments across Nigeria are set for a new era of public scrutiny as they will now be required to publish details of contract awards in the basic education and primary healthcare sectors every quarter, in a major transparency push backed by the Federal Government and the World Bank.
The reform is being implemented under the World Bank-supported Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE-GOV) programme of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. The initiative compels participating states to make contract award information public within 30 days after the end of each quarter.
National Coordinator of HOPE-GOV, Dr. Assad Hassan, disclosed this during the programme’s first Implementation Support Meeting of 2026 with State Focal Persons, held virtually in Abuja ahead of the first-year verification exercise by Independent Verification Agents (IVAs).
He said the quarterly disclosures are mandatory for states under the programme and must be uploaded on official state government websites. Compliance will not only allow independent verification but will also determine states’ eligibility for incentive fund disbursements.
At a minimum, states are expected to publish key contract details including the project name, awarding institution, award date, contractor’s name, and contract amount. For ministries, departments and agencies without e-procurement systems, IVAs will obtain schedules of contracts above thresholds set by state procurement laws and confirm that online disclosures meet the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS). States with functional e-procurement platforms will be required to show that their systems capture and publish procurement data across the full procurement cycle in line with OCDS.
Beyond procurement transparency, Dr. Hassan announced that states must also publish their 2026 Citizens’ Budget for Basic Education and Primary Healthcare by February 28, 2026. The citizens’ budget is expected to clearly outline revenue sources, grants and loans, total expenditures by government functions, and specific allocations to education and primary healthcare. It must also include budget frameworks, sectoral and ministerial breakdowns, and lists of major capital projects with their geolocations.
As part of efforts to strengthen oversight, states are further required to publish financial and performance audit reports on basic education and primary healthcare that have been submitted to their respective Houses of Assembly.
In another sweeping reform measure, states must complete biometric capture and link Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) for at least 80 per cent of workers in basic education and primary healthcare. The move is aimed at eliminating ghost workers and sanitising payroll systems.
Dr. Hassan noted that states are being supported to strengthen institutional arrangements to ensure effective implementation of the HOPE-GOV programme and achieve measurable results. About 100 officials from across the 36 states participated in the virtual meeting, highlighting the nationwide scope of the reform.
The HOPE-GOV programme is designed to boost governance, efficiency and accountability in human capital investments, with education and health placed at the core of Nigeria’s development priorities.