Stop Targeting Governors Over Hardship, FG Gets 52% Lion’s Share of Revenue — Katsina Gov

Stop Targeting Governors Over Hardship, FG Gets 52% Lion’s Share of Revenue — Katsina Gov

 

Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has urged Nigerians to stop directing blame solely at state governors over the country’s worsening economic hardship, insisting that the Federal Government controls the largest share of federation revenue.

Governor Radda made the remarks during an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI) Hausa, where he challenged widespread assumptions that governors and local government chairmen control the bulk of national resources.
According to him, 52 per cent of revenue from the Federation Account goes to the Federal Government, leaving the remaining 48 per cent to be shared among the 36 states and 774 local government areas.

“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 states and local governments.”

Questioning the long-standing revenue structure, the governor called on Nigerians to critically 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 real question Nigerians should be asking is: where has the bulk of that money gone?”
His comments come amid growing public pressure on state governments to justify increased allocations following the removal of fuel subsidy, with many Nigerians accusing governors of failing to cushion the impact of rising living costs.

 

Radda also dismissed blanket corruption allegations often levelled against governors, warning against what he described as unfair generalisations.
“Leadership is about individual integrity,” he said. “It is wrong to label everyone the same way.”

He maintained that public office holders should be assessed based on personal conduct and performance, stressing that accountability remains inevitable.
Capital projects, job creation
Defending his administration’s continued investment in capital projects despite the economic downturn, the governor said infrastructure spending remains one of the fastest ways to stimulate grassroots economic activity.

“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 added that the effects of such investments are already visible across Katsina State, particularly at the local government level.

“If you go to the local governments today, you will see a lot of economic activity because funds have reached the communities,” he said.