When last did your state governor call a press conference to give a proper account of the state’s affairs—beyond ceremonial appearances at project launches or perfunctory remarks after security meetings? Has your governor ever disclosed, in concrete terms, how much came into the state treasury from federal allocations and internally generated revenue in the past month, quarter, or year? In short, how accountable has your governor been to the people who elected him?
The truth is stark: governors across Nigeria operate with little or no accountability. This stems from several deep-rooted factors.
Absence of a Standard Evaluation System
There is no established framework to assess state governments. In the vacuum, governors exploit the lack of oversight through deception, inflated achievements, and diversionary politics. Ideally, elections should serve as the mechanism for accountability—voters rewarding performers and voting out failures. But in Nigeria, ethnicity, religion, vote-buying, inflated figures, and clandestine deals distort this process.
Looting Under the Guise of Governance
Without accountability, state treasuries become easy prey. Many governors award contracts not to serve the people but to recycle funds back into their pockets through cronies. A telling example is that of former Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong (2015–2023), who claimed to have purchased 400 tractors worth ₦5.6 billion as part of an agricultural scheme. Farmers were even made to pay ₦1.5 million deposits for the equipment. Yet, investigations by Premium Times in July 2024 revealed that fewer than 90 tractors were actually bought, with just 40 displayed when then-President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the project. The people, unaware of the fraud, were mobilised to dance and sing praises at the event.
The Twin Scourges of Illiteracy and Poverty
A large segment of the Nigerian population is either starkly illiterate (unable to read or write) or politically illiterate (literate, but indifferent to governance). Many, out of ignorance or expectation of patronage, cheer governors for doing the bare minimum—tarring roads, erecting a school building, or installing a borehole. Poverty further compounds this, as token gifts like ₦5,000, a bag of rice, or a borehole project pacify the people into silence. Worse still, the people are conditioned to direct their anger at Abuja, sparing their governors who control significant funds.
Corruption with Impunity
Corruption is not peculiar to Nigeria, but its character here is unique in three ways:
(a) it thrives with impunity;
(b) it is tolerated or even defended by communities of those implicated;
(c) it is entrenched across all strata of society.
From inflated contracts and outright embezzlement to the abuse of “security votes”—which in some states amount to ₦1 billion monthly and require no accountability—governors raid the treasury with little consequence. Many stash funds not just for reelection but to sponsor Senate bids, presidential campaigns, or to guarantee their retirement, cushioned by lavish severance packages and lifelong pensions that include official cars, aides, and security details—all funded by taxpayers.
The Post-Subsidy Reality
Since President Bola Tinubu scrapped fuel subsidies in May 2023, federal allocations to states have more than doubled. Local government allocations are now paid directly to LGAs. Yet, there is little evidence that these resources have translated into better healthcare, education, infrastructure, or security for ordinary Nigerians. Instead, palliatives have been reduced to photo opportunities, with little lasting impact.
The Way Forward
The solution lies in citizen action. Residents must begin to demand accountability from their governors and local government chairmen. The Ministry of Information and National Orientation should play a critical role in sensitising citizens about their rights to access information and press for transparency at the grassroots.
Civil society organisations and the media must also sustain investigative journalism to expose corruption. Where concrete evidence of fraud exists, citizens must not hesitate to petition the EFCC or ICPC. Without sustained pressure, President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme” risks becoming another paper policy, disconnected from the people it was meant to serve.
Nigeria cannot continue to run states as fiefdoms. Until governors are held accountable, governance will remain a theatre of deception, and the cycle of corruption, poverty, and illiteracy will persist.
