State governors in Nigeria are facing renewed criticism over the use of Federation Account Allocation Committee funds, with activist Comrade Igwekala Ugomaduefule arguing that the scale of recent transfers has not translated into better infrastructure or lower poverty across the country.
Call for governors to be held accountable
Ugomaduefule, the National President of the All Abuja Residents Association, made the remarks at a briefing in Abuja on Thursday. He said several governors had failed to make effective use of the substantial FAAC allocations received over the past three years.
He argued that monthly distributions to states have doubled during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, yet many states still have weak public infrastructure and large numbers of residents living in hardship.
- Governors should be answerable for the limited visible development despite the increased revenue flowing to state governments, he said.
- Nigerians increasingly hold state leaders responsible for hunger and other economic pressures affecting households.
- Public frustration has been directed largely at governors, who lead the state administrations receiving the allocations.
Ugomaduefule said that if governors had deployed FAAC receipts in a manner consistent with the sums released, fewer people would feel compelled to relocate to Abuja and more residents would be satisfied living and working in their home states.
He said public reaction could be far harsher if citizens had a full picture of the amounts transferred to individual states, contending that some governors should not be permitted to move freely in public and deserved to be stoned for their record.
Scale of FAAC distributions
The criticism comes against the backdrop of sharply higher revenue sharing among Nigeria’s federal, state and local government tiers.
- In September alone, the Federal Government, the 36 states and local government councils received a combined N2.428 trillion.
- From February 2023 through July 2026, FAAC distributed N14.045 trillion in revenue among the country’s three levels of government.
The figures have intensified scrutiny of whether increased public revenues are being converted into roads, services, productive investment and other projects capable of easing poverty and reducing pressure on Abuja as a destination for people seeking economic opportunities.
