by Ogbeni Olawale Dawodu,
ABUJA — State governors must do more to cushion Nigerians from rising living costs, public affairs analyst Ezeocha Nze has said, arguing that the Federal Government’s economic reforms cannot deliver broad relief without stronger action at the state level.
Nze, publisher of Disclosure News, made the call during an episode of The Policy Room —Beyond The Headlines, hosted by Lemmy Ughegbe, Ph.D. The discussion examined whether the Tinubu administration’s reforms are translating into meaningful improvements for ordinary Nigerians and how long citizens may have to wait for tangible relief.
While acknowledging the Federal Government’s responsibility for major economic policies, Nze said governors should use their substantial monthly allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to provide practical relief, including cheaper transportation and improved access to essential services. He called on them to show clearly how public funds are being spent and to implement state-level measures that complement federal initiatives.
The debate over responsibility has become more urgent as Nigerians contend with higher transportation costs, food prices and other household expenses. Although the Federal Government sets national economic policy, state governments control their own budgets and influence public services, infrastructure and social support.
Nze said citizens should judge governors not only by their promises but by what they deliver with available resources. The issue, he stressed, is not whether the Federal Government should be held accountable, but whether accountability should also be applied consistently to the governments closest to the people.
He cited the Federal Government’s compressed natural gas (CNG) bus initiative, introduced to reduce transportation costs after the removal of the petrol subsidy. President Tinubu had urged governors to complement the programme with similar state-level interventions. Nze questioned how extensively governors had responded, arguing that federal relief measures may have limited impact without coordinated action in the states.
Nze’s criticism centres on the link between public revenue and public welfare. In addition to FAAC allocations, states receive revenue from other sources, creating an expectation that governments will show how funds are being used to address transportation, healthcare, education, infrastructure and social welfare needs.
The key question, he argued, is not simply how much money a state receives, but what residents can identify as evidence of effective spending. Yet assessing performance requires state-by-state analysis of budgets, implementation, service delivery and measurable outcomes; allocation size alone cannot establish whether a governor has failed.
The discussion also considered whether Tinubu’s reforms are delivering their promised benefits. While the administration presents them as necessary to address structural weaknesses, their immediate effects have placed significant pressure on household budgets.
For citizens, recovery is measured less by national indicators than by the cost of food and transportation, access to healthcare, affordable education and the ability to meet basic needs. The episode therefore examined both the reform agenda and the additional measures needed to make economic progress widely felt.
As the 2027 elections approach, Nze urged Nigerians to evaluate public officials at every level and demand answers from all those entrusted with public funds. His specific call to governors is to deploy available allocations to targeted relief measures, complement federal programmes and publish evidence of results in areas that directly affect household welfare.
The discussion’s clearest takeaway is that easing Nigeria’s economic hardship requires accountability at both levels of government: the Federal Government must address the consequences of its reforms, while governors must demonstrate how state resources are producing measurable relief in transportation, food access and essential public services.
