BY HASSAN TURAKI.
Jigawa State has been ranked the second most improved state in Nigeria and the best performing state in the North-West zone in the 2026 Phillips Consulting State Performance Index, pSPI.
The report, released on Friday, assessed all 36 states and the FCT using 37 governance and development indicators. The assessment combined 70% data from audited financial records with 30% citizen perception surveys.
Instead of a traditional ranking, the 2026 edition used a “Momentum Index” to measure progress made by states since the last evaluation.
Jigawa scored +0.77 to place second nationally behind Enugu State. What drove Jigawa’s performance
According to Phillips Consulting, Jigawa’s rise was driven by:- Fiscal discipline and the lowest debt burden per capita in Nigeria- *Stable agricultural output despite regional security challenges Improved governance* and public service delivery.
The state also ranked 2nd nationwide in citizen satisfaction with a score of 3.69 out of 5. Residents rated the government highly on road infrastructure, security, and integrity of public servants — two areas where Jigawa was noted to be among the best in the country.
North-West leads The report named the North-West as Nigeria’s second-best performing geopolitical zone.
It credited Jigawa’s reforms for anchoring the zone’s performance, with Kano and Sokoto also contributing significantly.
Phillips Consulting said the results show that “states that made the greatest progress are not necessarily those with the largest revenues, but those that translated available resources into measurable improvements through sound governance and transparency.
”The firm described Jigawa as a national model for responsible fiscal management, noting that disciplined resource management can deliver sustainable development even in a tough economy.
The pSPI is widely used by government, investors, and development partners as an independent benchmark for assessing governance, fiscal health and service delivery across Nigerian states.
