Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has commended the weekend’s directive by the Federal Government instructing all Federal tertiary institutions to publish their budgetary allocations, other financial information and institutional data online, saying the move represents a critical step toward greater transparency and accountability in the education sector and demonstrates a laudable commitment to open governance.

The organisation, however, urged the Federal Government to formally extend the directive to all its ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), arguing that “Transparency should not be selective.

Making budgetary and other financial information of public institutions accessible to citizens across all sections of the public service is essential for fostering a culture of accountability, combating corruption, and promoting citizen engagement in governance.”

The Federal Ministry of Education issued a press statement on April 5, signed by Mrs. Folasade Boriowo, its Director of Press and Public Relations, in which it announced that the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, had issued a directive mandating all Federal Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts to publish key institutional data on their official websites, effective immediately but no later than May 31, 2025, in an effort to “entrench transparency, accountability, and good governance in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.”