Katsina State Governor Malam Dikko Radda has urged Nigerians to stop blaming state governors alone for the country’s worsening economic hardship, noting that the Federal Government controls more than half of the monthly federation revenue.
Speaking in an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI) Hausa, Governor Radda explained that the revenue-sharing formula leaves subnational governments struggling to meet growing demands, despite widespread assumptions that governors control the bulk of national resources.
His remarks come amid mounting pressure on state governments to account for increased allocations following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
“Whenever there is hardship, people blame governors and local governments. 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,” Radda said.
He added, “For decades, the Federal Government has been receiving the larger share of federation revenue. So the question Nigerians should be asking is: where has the bulk of that money gone?”
The governor also dismissed corruption allegations often directed at state governors, cautioning against sweeping generalisations.
“Leadership is about individual integrity. It is wrong to generalise and label everyone the same way. Public office holders would ultimately be held accountable for their actions,” he said.
While defending his administration’s continued investment in capital projects amid prevailing economic hardship, Radda emphasised that infrastructure development is a fast way 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 at the grassroots because labourers earn wages, food vendors make sales, and suppliers benefit,” he said.
He added that 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,” Governor Radda noted.
