I Wish I Was Governor Under Tinubu, Federal Allocations Are Four Times Bigger

Published by Godday Atuba

Senate President Akpabio Praises Tinubu as Governors Receive Fourfold Increase in Federal AllocationsSenate President Godswill Akpabio has openly expressed admiration for the sharp rise in federal allocations to states under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, revealing that today’s governors now receive nearly four times the funds available during his tenure as governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Akpabio made the remarks on Thursday while addressing lawmakers during plenary at the Nigerian Senate, where he reflected on the dramatic improvement in state revenues following recent fiscal and economic reforms by the Tinubu administration.According to the former governor, the surge in federal allocations has significantly strengthened the financial capacity of state governments, enabling them to undertake larger development projects, improve infrastructure, and deliver tangible benefits to communities at the grassroots level.Speaking candidly, Akpabio admitted that he wished he had governed under the current administration, given the scale of resources now flowing to the states.

“I wish I was a governor under you. Most of them are saying they collect four times what we used to collect. So I can’t go back, I can’t do a change in the constitution. Because they have far more money to develop their states and to touch the grassroots for you than we had. And I pray that God will give them the enablement and the wisdom to also do what they are doing at the same time.”He emphasized that the increased allocations place a greater responsibility on governors to translate higher revenues into meaningful development outcomes, particularly in underserved and rural communities that have long lacked basic infrastructure and social services.

阿克帕比奥进一步指出,当前的财政环境为各州政府提供了一个难得的机遇,可以通过可见的项目和改善服务交付,深化发展、加速经济增长并增强公众信心。他的这番言论正值全国围绕尼日利亚财政联邦制、收入分配框架以及近期经济改革(包括取消补贴和汇率调整)后果展开讨论之际,这些改革导致各州从联邦账户获得的资金有所增加。

参议院议长的这番言论在网上引发了广泛反响,尼日利亚民众对此意见分歧严重。一些人对各州收入状况的改善表示赞赏,而另一些人则认为,增加的资金必须与地方层面更强的透明度、问责制和可衡量的成果相匹配。随着拨款的增加,公众的监督力度也在加强——公民们在质疑州长们是否已采取足够措施,以证明这些历史性的资金流入是物有所值的。您怎么看?州长们是否应该利用增加的拨款带来更多可见的发展成果?欢迎在评论区分享您的想法。