Nigerians are gradually turning the heat on governors in the face of dilapidated infrastructure and remarkable absence of economic growth in majority of states despite increased federal allocations to them since 2023.
For example, available data shows that the total FAAC revenue shared monthly to the three tiers of government consistently grew year-on-year from February to June 2025, with increases ranging from 39% to 49%.
FAAC records show that revenue to states increased by 49% YoY in March 2025 (₦1.68T vs ₦1.12T in March 2024), while February 2025 saw a 48% increase YoY (₦1.70T vs ₦1.15T in February 2024).
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April 2025 revenue rose by 41% YoY, moving from ₦1.12T in April 2024 to ₦1.58T.
January 2025 showed no YoY change, recording ₦1.42T in both 2024 and 2025.
The consistent growth in H1 2025 FAAC revenues signals improved government revenue mobilisation, better oil/non-oil collections, and higher capacity for states to meet obligations.
These reflect improved government revenue mobilisation and stronger inflows.
Except for January, which saw no change, every month in H1 2025 posted a significant increase in shared revenue compared to the same period in 2024, with growth rates ranging from 39% to 49%. Government sources indicate consistent rise and stronger fiscal capacity to support federal, state, and local government operations amid economic challenges.
However, the failure of state governments to translate these increases to the provision of security and infrastructure to their people recently moved Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State to appeal to his colleagues in the North to stop passing the bulk over insecurity, insisting that the unprecedented revenue now available to states gives them no room for excuses.
QUADRUPLED ALLOCATIONS
Speaking last Monday at the 2025 Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit in Abuja, Governor Sule revealed that monthly allocations to the three tiers of government had quadrupled under President Bola Tinubu’s reforms.
He said: “For the first time in our history, all tiers of government are sharing more revenue than they ever imagined.
“Over N2.2 trillion was shared this month alone. When I became governor in 2019, we were sharing between N590 billion and N620 billion. Today, it is four times that amount.”
Sule therefore urged Northern leaders to invest the windfall in productive sectors, while taking charge of the security of their states.
“Every state now has the resources to secure its people. We should stop blaming anybody for our security. If we are blaming anybody, blame ourselves,” he declared.
Governor Sule’s advice came against the backdrop of allegations that state governors had not been prudently utilising the increased revenues and FAAC allocations in the provision of good life, security and infrastructure for their people.
Rather, as the US Mission recently revealed, most of the state governors use the largesse to selfishly feather their own nests, investing in real estate across the globe and living extravagant lifestyles.
Thus, in most states across the federation, there is appalling dearth of infrastructure that should make life more meaningful to the citizens, while the state of insecurity intensifies.
The absence of such infrastructure like good roads and bridges had led to uncountable road accidents, flood disasters, and boat mishaps, leading to avoidable loss of lives in their hundreds and unquantifiable properties.
This is as several Nigerians have been falling victims of insecurity in form of terrorist attacks, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and ritual killings in different parts of the country, while the governors and other public officials look aloof, only lamenting when the deed had been done.
It is believed that most of these lives lost could have been spared if the governors and public officers had been channelling the fiscal boom in the last one year into provision of security apparatus and vital infrastructure in their states.
This is not mindful of some achievements by some state governors who recently have been unveiling and commissioning projects, though their quality and longevity are yet to be ascertained.
As Sunday Independent gathered, states like Imo, Edo, Abia, Enugu and Lagos, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been ploughing back their financial resources into provision of infrastructure.
In fact, Lagos and Anambra, as well as some other South West states have been investing in security, to support the policing of the areas.
For instance, only recently, Anambra State came up with a security outfit, Udochia (let peace reign), although the quality of training for such operatives remains questionable.
The state also came up with a joint security operation, Agunechemba (the lions that guard the land), a synergy which sees the formal security agencies in the state patrolling with Udochia as a team around cities.
POOR QUALITY OF GOVERNANCE
Speaking with Sunday Independent on this untidy and parlous state of things, Barrister Olalekan Festus Ojo, a Lagos human rights lawyer and an advocate of good governance, maintained that the increase in federal allocations to states over the past year was expected to translate into tangible improvements in both security and infrastructure.
Barrister Ojo, the Managing Partner, Platinum & Taylor Hill LP, a leading law firm in Nigeria, lamented: “Unfortunately, what we see across many states is a mixed picture.
“While some have made modest progress, the reality is that insecurity: banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes remains pervasive, and infrastructure deficits, from dilapidated roads to weak power supply, continue to hinder economic activity.
“The challenge is not merely about the size of allocations, but the quality of governance.
“Higher revenues mean little if they are not tied to transparent budgeting, effective monitoring, and long-term development planning.
“Too often, funds are absorbed by recurrent expenditure, leaving little for capital projects or sustainable security architecture.
“My view is that states must be held to higher standards of accountability. Increased allocation should come with measurable outcomes; safer communities, better schools and hospitals, and infrastructure that truly supports livelihoods.
“Citizens must also demand transparency, because development is not just about how much money is available, but how wisely it is deployed.
“In essence, the problem is not lack of resources, but lack of strategic vision and disciplined implementation.
“Until those changes, increased allocations will not yield the transformation Nigerians deserve.”
Another lawyer, Barrister Emeka Iheonu, in his reaction to Sunday Independent enquiry, stated: “Only few states like Lagos have improved in both security and infrastructure to justify the increase in federal allocations within the past one year.
“Few states like Niger, Imo, and the FCT have improved in infrastructural development, while insecurity has not abated.
“However, the majority of the states are yet to improve in the areas of security and infrastructural development, thus failing to justify their expenditures from the allocations.”
Professor John Ebhomien, an economist and financial expert, in a chat with Sunday Independent, maintained that the country’s national security architecture is facing significant challenges.
These, according to him, include inadequate funding allocation, saying that despite allocating over N6 trillion to security in the 2025 budget, a large portion is consumed by personnel and operational costs, leaving insufficient resources for crucial capital expenditures.
LACK OF INTERNAL SYNERGY
Prof Ebhomien, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, also fingered inter agency rivalry, saying that the security sector is plagued by inter-agency rivalry, inadequate information sharing, and conflicting priorities, hindering effective collaboration and problem-solving.
Ebhomien, a former Consultant to the United Nations Office on Project Services, and a former World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) expert, lamented the evil effects of corruption in governance and public service.
According to him, “Corruption is a significant obstacle, with some state governors and local governments’ chairmen embezzling funds meant for development and security.”
He stressed: “To address these issues, the following potential solutions should be adopted.
“Security Sector Reform: Implement comprehensive security sector reform to enhance accountability, transparency, and effectiveness.
“This includes reforming security and defence sector ministries, departments, and agencies.
“Citizen-Centric Approach: Shift from a reactive, military-centric model to a proactive, whole-of-society framework that integrates economic policy, educational reform, and youth empowerment into national security strategies.
“Cybersecurity: Strengthen cybersecurity defences to protect critical infrastructure, including: Implementing robust cybersecurity frameworks, such as ISO 27001 and NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
“Enhancing threat intelligence and incident response capabilities; Promoting public-private partnerships to share threat intelligence and best practices.
“Infrastructure Development: Prioritising infrastructure development, including roads, healthcare facilities, and telecommunications networks, to support economic growth and improve living standards.
“Ultimately, addressing these challenges will require:
Ensuring accountability, transparency, and good governance at all levels of government.
“Fostering collaboration among government agencies, private sector stakeholders, and civil society to address common challenges.
“Developing and implementing comprehensive national security strategies that prioritise citizen security and well-being.”
Dr Herbert Ekechukwu, an economist, who also spoke to Sunday Independent lamented that Nigeria has continued to grapple with security crises, including insurgency, banditry and terrorism, which have been hampering economic growth and national security.
Ekechukwu, also a bishop, stated: “Many schools, hospitals, roads and other national institutions are in a terrible state begging for attention.
“The removal of subsidy on petroleum products has brought sharp increase in federal allocation to states, yet the expected effect has not been felt in national security and in infrastructural development.
“The increased insecurity is as a result of corruption and collusion between government officials and non-state actors fueling insecurity, with billions allocated for security votes being misused.
“The government at all levels must ensure effective budget implementation. Priorities should be on transparency, accountability and prudent fiscal management.
“There should be coordinated efforts among security agencies to tackle insecurity.”
MORE FUNDS, MORE CORRUPTION
Also contributing, Dr Rexkennedy Saltlove, a political activist and public affairs analyst, told Sunday Independent that the huge federal allocations given to states and corresponding poor security and infrastructural development, is due to certain factors, which are primarily corruption and bad governance.
Saltlove, the President/Executive Director, Citizens Rights and Empowerment Advocacy Initiative (CREMA Initiative), stated: “These twin devils, corruption and bad governance, are the basic reasons responsible for other things that worsened security and infrastructure decay.
“Infrastructure decay, on the other hand, promotes insecurity. Thus, bad roads, for instance, slow down vehicles on the express roads and make it points or locations where robbers, bandits and kidnappers can waylay law abiding citizens commuting along these roads, thereby endangering their lives.
“The depreciating and worsening level of insecurity in the country, despite the acclaimed success by the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the military, leaves a lot to be deserved.
“This submission is premised on the recent death of a journalist working with Arise TV, in an area close to a military barracks in the FCT, who was shot and she jumped down from upstairs in an attempt to escape the robbers’ attack.
“And when rushed to the hospital, she was denied treatment, on the basis that her identity card could not be provided at that material time. She eventually left to die.
“Corruption and bad governance undermine trust and judicious use of available resources, thus creating unemployment, illiteracy and poverty, jobs and quality education, as well as these governments cannot provide good, well equipped and well-staffed educational and health institutions with the huge financial resources available at their disposal.
“Among other factors, corruption and bad governance create elite exploitation of ethnic and religious divisions to fuel conflicts; weak and inadequately equipped security apparatus.
“Others are porous borders, facilitating influx of arms and criminals; a high prevalence of small arms and light weapons; inequality and marginalisation, creating grievances and unrest.
“There is also lack of access to quality education and civic values; increased youth restiveness due to lack of opportunities; and the proliferation of various criminal groups, including bandits, kidnappers, and insurgents.
“The bad economic situation has engendered mass poverty, creating insecurity. There are sayings that “a hungry man is an angry man”, and “he that is down, needs fear no fall.
“To survive, people resort to various underhand tactics with criminal tendencies that also result in insecurity.”
Hon. Charles Anike, a political activist, maintained that the poor state security and infrastructure in various states across the country should be of serious concern to well-meaning Nigerians.
Anike, National President, Eastern Union (EU), a socio-political pressure group for the people of Old Eastern Region, told Sunday Independent: “The level of insecurity and monumental infrastructural decay in the states evidently overwhelm the various state governments.
“The increased federal allocations to the states are not making desirable impacts because corruption in the states is in competition with what obtains at the federal level.
“Various researches have shown that insecurity in various states has roots within the states, and that is why they are sustained and hard to crush.
“Infrastructural decay can also be linked to sabotage from within. The leaders in various states are planted agents of those at the federal level.”