Tinubu Reforms: PVM Questions Governors Over Increased Federal Allocations, Economic Hardship
Tinubu Reforms: PVM Questions Governors Over Increased Federal Allocations, Economic Hardship
By Akin Alade
As Nigerians continue to grapple with the economic consequences of ongoing reforms by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, the Progressive Vision Movement (PVM) has challenged state governors to account for how increased revenues flowing from the Federation Account are translating into improved living conditions at the grassroots.
President of the Progressive Vision Movement, Prince Gbadegeshin Ademola, said the national conversation on economic hardship should no longer focus exclusively on the Presidency, arguing that Nigerians also deserve to know what state and local governments are doing with the resources available to them.
According to him, the critical question is no longer simply whether economic reforms are producing improved government revenues, but whether the benefits are reaching ordinary Nigerians in their communities.
“Federal allocations to states have increased, but how much of this improvement can ordinary citizens actually see or feel? What deliberate programmes have governors introduced to cushion the effects of the economic reforms on their people?” Ademola asked.
He said Nigerians should demand greater accountability from all three tiers of government rather than holding only the Federal Government responsible for problems that require interventions at federal, state and local levels.
Ademola particularly raised concerns about the effectiveness and financial independence of local government administrations.
“How many governors are genuinely allowing local governments to function independently and deliver directly to their communities? Nigerians need to ask these questions because local governments are supposed to be the closest tier of government to the people,” he said.
According to the PVM president, increased allocations should ordinarily provide states and councils with greater capacity to invest in programmes capable of reducing the pressure on households.
He identified agriculture, affordable transportation, primary healthcare, rural infrastructure, education, youth employment, small-business support and food production as areas where state governments could make an immediate difference.
Ademola argued that while the removal of petrol subsidy and other economic reforms have imposed significant pressure on households and businesses, governors cannot simply attribute every hardship experienced within their states to decisions taken in Abuja.
“If more money is coming into the states, citizens have every right to ask what additional benefits they are receiving. Where are the subsidised transportation programmes? Where are the agricultural interventions? Where are the affordable food initiatives? What support is reaching small businesses, farmers, pensioners, students and vulnerable families?” he queried.
He maintained that economic reforms would remain difficult for Nigerians to appreciate if increased government revenues do not translate into measurable improvements in their daily lives.
The PVM president also called for greater transparency in the management of state and local government finances, saying Nigerians should be able to compare allocations received with projects, social interventions and services delivered.
According to him, accountability should not become a partisan weapon deployed only against the Federal Government while governors and local government administrations escape equivalent scrutiny.
He stressed that President Tinubu’s economic policies should be assessed on their results, but insisted that governors must equally explain how they have used their own increased financial capacity to mitigate the effects of those policies.
“The President has his responsibilities, and nobody should excuse the Federal Government where it fails. But governors also have responsibilities. Local governments have responsibilities. Every tier receiving public money must explain what it has done with that money,” Ademola said.
He further challenged governors to publish clear information showing how additional revenues have been deployed since the economic reforms began, particularly in sectors directly affecting household expenditure.
For millions of Nigerians, he said, the real measurement of economic recovery is not merely an increase in government receipts but whether food becomes more affordable, transportation improves, primary healthcare works, farmers receive meaningful support and young people have better economic opportunities.
Ademola said state governments should take advantage of improved revenues to embark on aggressive food-production programmes, repair rural roads, support farmers with inputs and mechanisation, strengthen primary healthcare centres and create sustainable public transportation schemes.
He also urged governors to empower local councils to perform their constitutional and developmental responsibilities effectively, arguing that functioning local governments could significantly improve service delivery at the community level.
“The question Nigerians should put to every governor is simple: compared with what your state was receiving before these reforms, what are you receiving today, and what difference has that additional money made in the lives of your people?” he said.
The Progressive Vision Movement maintained that the debate over Nigeria’s economic reforms must therefore enter a new phase—one centred on accountability across all levels of government.
While the Federal Government must continue working to stabilise the economy, reduce inflation, improve electricity, strengthen the naira and tackle insecurity, Ademola said state governments must demonstrate that increased allocations are producing tangible benefits.
He added that Nigerians have endured considerable economic pressure and should not be caught between a Federal Government implementing difficult reforms and subnational governments that fail to deploy available resources effectively.
“For economic reforms to succeed, the benefits must travel beyond Abuja. They must reach the states, the local governments, the communities and ultimately the Nigerian household,” Ademola said.
He concluded that governors should see increased revenues not as an opportunity for bigger government expenditure but as a responsibility to provide greater relief, infrastructure and economic opportunities for their citizens.
