Midterm Review of Nigeria's 36 State Governors: Disappointing Performance and Opportunities for Transforamtion

As Nigeria's politics enters its second half, a clear picture emerges of the performance of the country's 36 state governors. Despite the promises of change and development made during the 2023 elections, many governors have failed to deliver on their commitments, prioritizing visibility over value and short-term optics over long-term transformation. The result is a widespread disillusionment with governance in Nigeria, with citizens increasingly disconnected from state structures and turning to their leaders for answers.

Key Takeaways:

• The state governors' performance has been marked by a lack of imagination and innovation, with most states failing to shift from consumption to production and relying heavily on oil-derived revenue.
• The only pockets of promise are found in a handful of states, such as Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Jigawa, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Benue, Oyo, Lagos, and Niger, which have taken commendable steps toward establishing agro-industrial hubs and supporting farmers.
• The manufacturing sector is in decline across over 90% of states, due to poor infrastructure, unreliable power supply, and insecurity.
• Most states have failed to adopt credible local intelligence networks, robust coordination with federal agencies, and transparent funding of community-based initiatives to combat insecurity.
• The education and health sectors have been marked by inertia, with promises of world-class schools and 21st-century hospitals remaining unfulfilled in most states.
• The economic-growth lens sharpens the argument that the current policies and strategies of the state governors are not effective in promoting economic growth.
• Infrastructure development has been marred by overpriced, poorly executed, or abandoned projects, with most governors preferring to tout road construction projects as evidence of development.
• Good governance has been lacking, with most governors failing to articulate a developmental vision for their states and relying on propaganda and political theatrics.
• The absence of clarity has created a vacuum of leadership at the subnational level, leading to a disconnection between citizens and state structures.

Statistics:

• Nigeria's 36 state governors have collectively budgeted N47.75 trillion in just two fiscal years, more than the entire annual budgets of 15 African countries combined.
• Nearly two-thirds of the N15.26 trillion shared from the Federation Account Allocation Committee in 2024 poured into state and local government coffers.
• Internal Revenue Average is a paltry 15 per cent of total receipts nationwide, leaving states dangerously exposed to the ebb and flow of oil-derived FAAC transfers.
• The manufacturing sector is in decline across over 90% of states, due to poor infrastructure, unreliable power supply, and insecurity.
• The education and health sectors have been marked by inertia, with promises of world-class schools and 21st-century hospitals remaining unfulfilled in most states.

Sources:

• [1] Nigeria's state governors have collectively budgeted N47.75 trillion in just two fiscal years, more than the entire annual budgets of 15 African countries combined.
• [2] Nearly two-thirds of the N15.26 trillion shared from the Federation Account Allocation Committee in 2024 poured into state and local government coffers.
• [3] Internal Revenue Average is a paltry 15 per cent of total receipts nationwide, leaving states dangerously exposed to the ebb and flow of oil-derived FAAC transfers.
• [4] The manufacturing sector is in decline across over 90% of states, due to poor infrastructure, unreliable power supply, and insecurity.