By Charles Thomas
While Nigerians fix their gaze on Abuja, billions flow to the states each month with little to show for it. The question is simple: who is watching the governors?
A few months ago, I visited a public primary school in one of Nigeria’s oil-rich states. The classrooms had no roofs. Pupils sat on bare floors, their voices competing with the noise of rain dripping through holes in the ceiling. The teachers were dedicated, but how much can passion achieve without resources?
Outside the school, the road leading to the community was riddled with potholes so deep that vehicles avoided them altogether. Yet, every month, that state receives billions in federal allocations. So the question kept echoing in my mind: Who is holding our governors accountable?
In Nigeria, our gaze is almost always fixed on Abuja. Every complaint, every protest, and every prayer seems to be directed at the president. If petrol is scarce, we blame the president. If insecurity spreads, we point to the president. If jobs are missing, we cry to the president.
But here’s the truth we often ignore: the presidency is not the only center of power.
The Power Closer to Us
Real development lives nearer than we think. Thirty-six governors and one FCT Minister control the levers of governance that affect our daily lives. The quality of our schools, the state of our hospitals, the maintenance of rural infrastructure, the creation of jobs, and even aspects of internal security, these are not merely federal responsibilities. States have enormous powers and constitutional duties to deliver.
And right now, they have the money too. With the removal of fuel subsidy and reforms in the foreign exchange system, state revenues have more than doubled. Monthly FAAC allocations are flowing like never before. Oil-producing states, in particular, are experiencing unprecedented inflows.
Yet, when you travel across the country, what do you see?
The same dilapidated schools.
The same understaffed hospitals.
The same neglected roads.
The same mass unemployment.
In fact, some states look worse today than they did before the revenue boom.
ALSO READ: Ralph Egbu’s Defection: Constituency Duty, Political Calculation, or Both?
The Danger
If this imbalance continues, governors will coast through office without meaningful scrutiny. They will serve their terms with minimal accountability and then quietly resurface often in the Senate where they enjoy prestige without pressure.
Citizens, on the other hand, are left behind in underdeveloped states, battling frustration, unemployment, and poverty.
The Imperative
Accountability must not stop at Aso Rock. It must echo in the corridors of all 36 state government houses. Nigerians must begin to shift the cameras, the conversations, and the questions toward their governors.
This is not about embarrassing them. It is about insisting on results.
It is not about weakening their authority. It is about strengthening governance through transparency and performance.
We must be bold enough to:
• ASK our governors what they are doing with the money.
• CHALLENGE them to show results, not excuses.
• ENGAGE them through community forums, town halls, and civic pressure not just during campaigns but throughout their tenures.
ALSO READ: BOUND BY FORCE: The 1914 Amalgamation and the Lingering Call for Biafra
The Road Ahead
It is time to shine the spotlight on those who govern our states. Let them speak. Let the people listen. And let us, as citizens, ask the hard questions.
Nigeria will not rise on the shoulders of the president alone. A country of over 200 million people cannot be transformed from Abuja while the states the engines of grassroots development remain stagnant. Our national progress will rise or fall on the choices, priorities, and vision of those who govern at the subnational level.
This is the moment to demand subnational accountability.
Not tomorrow.
Not later.
NOW.
Charles Thomas is a broadcaster, a news and current affairs journalist and Editor of National Concord
