Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has urged Nigerians to stop blaming state governors alone for the country’s worsening economic hardship, saying the Federal Government controls more than half of the nation’s monthly federation revenue.
Governor Radda made the statement in an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI) Hausa.
According to him, while public anger over rising hardship is often directed at governors and local government chairmen, the Federal Government receives the largest share of funds from the Federation Account.
“Whenever there is hardship, people blame governors and local governments,” Radda said. “But when revenue is shared, 52 per cent goes to the Federal Government. It is the remaining 48 per cent that is shared among the 36 states and 774 local governments.”
He said the revenue-sharing formula leaves subnational governments struggling to meet growing demands, despite widespread assumptions that governors control the bulk of national resources.
‘Where has the money gone?’
Questioning the impact of decades of federal control over national revenue, the Katsina governor asked Nigerians to examine how funds retained at the centre have been utilised over the years.
“For decades, the Federal
Government has been receiving the larger share of federation revenue,” he said. “So the question Nigerians should be asking is: where has the bulk of that money gone?”
His remarks come amid mounting pressure on state governments to account for increased allocations following the removal of fuel subsidy.
Corruption allegations
Governor Radda also dismissed corruption allegations often directed at governors, warning against what he described as sweeping generalisations.
He argued that leadership should be judged on an individual basis, insisting that not all elected officials are corrupt.
“Leadership is about individual integrity,” he said. “It is wrong to generalise and label everyone the same way.”
He added that public office holders would ultimately be held accountable for their actions.
Capital projects, jobs
The governor further defended his administration’s continued investment in capital projects despite the prevailing economic hardship.
According to him, infrastructure development remains one of the fastest ways to inject money into the grassroots economy through job creation.
“When you execute capital projects, you create jobs and bring money down to the people,” Radda said. “Labourers earn wages, food vendors make sales and suppliers benefit.”
He said the impact of such spending is already visible across local government areas in Katsina State.
“If you go to the local governments today, you will see a lot of economic activity because funds have reached the communities,” he said.