Abia State has risen to second place nationally in the revised 2026 State Performance Index Report by Phillips Consulting, recording the biggest improvement in ranking across the three editions of the assessment.

The state scored 0.55 in the 2026 performance snapshot, placing it behind Jigawa State, which ranked first nationally.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, noting that Abia moved from 36th position in 2024 to 10th in 2025 before climbing to second in the revised 2026 edition.

According to the statement, the movement represents a 34-place improvement, the largest overall gain recorded among the 33 states ranked in the 2026 edition.

The commissioner explained that Phillips Consulting initially released its 2026 National Assessment Report on July 23, 2026, using a single Momentum Index based on a blended score.

He said the consulting firm subsequently reviewed and audited its methodology, identified issues and recalculated the results.

Under the revised methodology, current performance is now separated from progress over time, allowing the report to present both a 2026 performance snapshot and the trajectory of each state across the three editions.

The statement explained that momentum is now determined by changes in performance ranking rather than differences between scores calculated using different scales. Based on Abia’s movement from 36th to 10th and then second, the state recorded a net gain of 34 positions.

The revised report also placed Abia as the highest-ranked state in the South-East and among the leading performers nationally.

The state’s strongest pillar was citizen satisfaction, where it recorded a standardised score of +1.78 and an absolute score of 3.92, rated as “Good” based on responses from 770 residents.

Residents gave the highest ratings to government support for businesses at 4.45, roads at 4.42 and publicity of government policies at 4.33.

Lower-rated areas included access to employment opportunities at 3.12, availability of clean water at 3.22 and law-enforcement conduct at 3.56.

On fiscal indicators, the report recorded Abia’s revenue self-reliance at 27 per cent, with Internally Generated Revenue per capita put at approximately N13,100. The state’s debt per capita was about N31,300, while its debt-to-revenue ratio stood at 36 per cent and capital expenditure accounted for 70 per cent.

The revised assessment also changed how transparency was measured, taking into account the date on which each state published its audited accounts relative to the statutory deadline. States without qualifying accounts were left unscored instead of automatically receiving zero.

Abia’s transparency score was put at 0.38, with the revised report using the state’s FY2025 audited accounts in place of the FY2024 figures used in the initial assessment.

Kanu further said Phillips Consulting had revised its approach to assessing debt sustainability by considering both debt per capita and debt in relation to revenue, providing a broader assessment of each state’s fiscal position.

The South-East recorded several significant improvements in the revised assessment. Abia ranked second nationally, followed by Enugu in third place, while Jigawa occupied the top position in the 2026 performance ranking.

Phillips Consulting clarified that the performance ranking reflects where states stand in the current edition, while the momentum measure tracks changes in their positions across the three editions.

The revised assessment therefore combines indicators covering citizen experience, fiscal sustainability, revenue performance, transparency and changes in state rankings over time to present an overall picture of Abia’s performance.