Abia State has emerged as Nigeria’s highest-rated state for citizen satisfaction and the third most improved in governance, according to the 2026 Nigeria State Performance Index (pSPI) released by Phillips Consulting. The report, obtained by THE WHISTLER on Thursday, ranked Abia first in overall citizen satisfaction with a score of 3.86 out of 5. The methodology measured performance across governance, fiscal management, infrastructure, social development and service delivery to determine whether states are converting increased public resources into better outcomes for residents. The research firm said Abia’s rise reflects a “service-delivery turnaround”, where fiscal reforms translated into improvements that residents can see and feel. Under fiscal reforms, Abia recorded strong public ratings supported by improvements in public finance.