₦airaland Forum

Parachoko:
This Is Trash

There's a time in this Nigeria Governors couldn't pay salaries or pensions

Unser Asiwaju, Governors are comfortably paying salaries and pensions

Yes it is because you don’t have the m€nt@ bandwidth to understand figures of comprehend simple English. In case you care to read and know, go and read my last comment on this.

jogojogo:
How comes are they able to pay salary now than how it used to be previously?

I have responded to this, go and read it. I doubt it if you would still be able to comprehend it

PulaPower:
You’ve created this same topic many times but it’s not working. As it’s not working, you keep opening and opening on again, and believe me, it won’t still work..

You people always act as if it’s not the same Nigerians that are existing today, existed during previous governments. Una too mumuu oo..

If FAAC allocations increase is a mirage, how come it’s easier for state governors to pay salaries now, compare to during past governments? Look at the projects that some governors are doing, without relying on borrowing… How do you think such became possible?

Even the Agulu fraud when he was a governor, doctors had to go on strike for more than a year and dollar was how much then? If there was more money in the circulation then, you think the fraud wouldn’t pay up Doctors?

Ever since the beginning of this government, have you ever heard of anything like strike this, strike that? … How do you think such was possible?

I’m beginning to think some of you didn’t even watch the video, perhaps because your ₦30,000 monthly stipend couldn’t cover the data costs. Otherwise, I struggle to understand how anyone could watch it and still fail to see why I reiterated the points I had made earlier. My reference to my previous post was simply for confirmation and consistency.

Your APC representative came with the same tired talking point: that states should be delivering more projects because federal allocations have increased. Yet the moment Prince presented his analysis and broke down the figures, your representative suddenly went silent. He couldn’t respond because the facts completely dismantled the narrative he came to defend.

Sometimes I genuinely wonder how some of you reason. It’s baffling to see people who pride themselves on being educated and analytical approach issues with less critical thinking than one would expect from a child.

Perhaps if you watched the video with an open mind, you would understand the points being made. Take the time to watch it properly and digest the facts. Hopefully, you have the intellectual capacity to comprehend what Prince was explaining.

On the issue why it seems that states governors are now able to pay salaries. Let’s look at the figures and data.

Minimum Wage Comparison

2015:
Minimum wage = ₦18,000
Exchange rate = ₦180/$1
Equivalent = about $100 per month

2025/2026:
Minimum wage = ₦70,000
Exchange rate = ₦1,500/$1
Equivalent = about $47 per month

In dollar terms, a minimum-wage worker earns about 53% less today than in 2015.

Lagos State Example

2015:
Personnel cost and pensions = ₦101 billion
Exchange rate = ₦198/$1
Equivalent = about $510 million

2025:
Personnel expenditure = ₦401.1 billion
Exchange rate = ₦1,500/$1
Equivalent = about $267 million


Let me explain it in the simplest way possible.

Imagine a state government received ₦5 billion every month in 2015. At an exchange rate of about ₦180 to $1, that was worth roughly $28 million.

Out of that amount, it spent ₦2 billion on salaries, which was worth about $11 million.

Fast forward to 2026.

The same state now receives ₦15 billion monthly. On paper, that looks like a 200% increase. However, at an exchange rate of about ₦1,500 to $1, that ₦15 billion is worth only about $10 million. Which is more than 50% of what they were receiving 10yrs earlier.

The state now spends ₦5 billion on salaries. While that looks much higher in naira terms, it is worth only about $3.3 million.

So although the numbers look bigger, the actual value of the money is much smaller.

This is why many people say today’s increases are partly an illusion. The figures are larger in naira, but the purchasing power behind those figures is significantly lower.

That helps explain why governments may find it easier to pay salaries without arrears, while many workers still feel financially worse off than they did a decade ago.

The numbers look bigger. The value is smaller. I still doubt if you would be able to comprehend.

helinues:
The wailers have run out of ideas

Oh for your mind. I was unable to respond because I was restricted.

The FAAC Allocation Illusion: How Tinubu’s Administration Has Misled Governors About Rising Revenue

I wrote this article, “Has State Allocation Truly Increased? The FAAC Allocation Illusion,” on April 3, 2026 (you can read the full article here https://www.nairaland.com/8646982/state-allocation-truly-increased-faac). Looking back, it’s interesting to see more people beginning to make the same argument and arrive at similar conclusions.

My central point was simple: while FAAC allocations may have increased significantly in naira terms, the real value of those allocations has been eroded by inflation and the collapse of the naira. On paper, the figures look bigger. In reality, the purchasing power behind those figures is far weaker.

This is why I have consistently argued that quoting allocations without considering exchange rates, inflation, debt levels, and actual economic value creates a misleading picture. Numbers alone do not tell the full story.

It is encouraging to see others now raising similar concerns and questioning the narrative that higher nominal allocations automatically translate into greater prosperity or improved governance.

Sometimes, the numbers may change, but the underlying reality remains the samme.

The APC, President Tinubu and those who work with him suffer what in economics we call the "illusion of money"... By the devaluation of the naira to the dollar, it gives you an illusion as if additional money is coming in, but that money has no purchasing power,' says SDP's… pic.twitter.com/pso5oZ52lg

— Channels Television (@channelstv) May 31, 2026

/video/1?s=46

lawani:
If oil was ninety percent of income under Buhari but it is now like thirty percent of income, is that not enough for you to realize that states are receiving more money? Do you think the constitution allows the President to share revenue anyhow he likes?
Under Buhari dollar was worth 2000 naira because he printed tens of trillions of naira. I think thirty trillion but he borrowed billions of dollars simply to sell so as to prop the naira up when no dollar to sell again, the naira crashed to it's real value and everything had to be recalculated. The same recalculation was what led to the nominal GDP crashing. GDP can not actually crash overnight. Production can not massively reduce overnight unless there was a genocide. So all your calculation is wrong. I hope you understand now. Money that was shared even in 2024 was more than double what Buhari used to share as oil income was only 45 percent of total income. This year, it will be up to triple because I believe oil will not be more than thirty percent if up to that

The APC, President Tinubu and those who work with him suffer what in economics we call the "illusion of money"... By the devaluation of the naira to the dollar, it gives you an illusion as if additional money is coming in, but that money has no purchasing power,' says SDP's… pic.twitter.com/pso5oZ52lg

— Channels Television (@channelstv) May 31, 2026

/video/1?s=46

Watch this and come back with your argument

Richtaiwo:
The Federal and State Governments share the monthly allocation based on an established formula.

If the allocation to the states has indeed decreased, it logically follows that the Federal Government’s share has also declined.

So, what exactly is your point?

The APC, President Tinubu and those who work with him suffer what in economics we call the "illusion of money"... By the devaluation of the naira to the dollar, it gives you an illusion as if additional money is coming in, but that money has no purchasing power,' says SDP's… pic.twitter.com/pso5oZ52lg

— Channels Television (@channelstv) May 31, 2026

/video/1?s=46


This is exactly my point. Take your time to watch the video and digest the facts. I hope you have the mental bandwidth to comprehend what the man was saying.

helinues:
You need some rest as you are tired already

What saddens me most is not the tragedy itself, but the fact that I have to share a country with people like you who can look at such suffering and still choose to be heartless. That is truly unfortunate.

Every day I wake up with yet another reason to be angry in my spirit and to question God about why I should be a Nigerian.

I thought the story of the Jos widow who lost her only son was already too painful to bear. Then, boom! 37 little, innocent children were kidnapped.

Today, I read about the ordeal of Justice Crack in the hands of the DIA, an agency whose primary responsibility is to protect the citizens of this country. Yet, these same agents, funded by taxpayers’ money, are allegedly being used to harass, abduct, and even make innocent citizens disappear without a trace.

It brought back memories of my own ordeal in the hands of the DSS simply because I identified myself as a journalist. One of those officers told me to my face that they could kill me and NOTHING would happen.

Is this truly a country?

I am tired.

Tired of the insecurity.
Tired of the injustice.
Tired of the abuse of power.
Tired of watching innocent people pay the price for the failures of those entrusted with authority.

How much more are Nigerians expected to endure?

Can someone tell me the difference between this regime and the military dictatorship?

Lithiumite:
You typing all this gibberish,how many of your life goals have you been able to achieve at your age,do you have all your boxes ticked 100%......Nigeria is still a work in progress under tinubu and we know he will leave Nigeria better than he met it.

And when they ask you to list his achievements you will start mentioning Nelfund and coastal road.

States are not struggling to pay salaries because wage pressures have already been significantly reduced. Minimum wage was over $100 in 2023 before you assumed office, but today it is effectively less than $50. So there is nothing particularly spectacular in the current situation. You can only convince the gullible, not anyone who thinks critically and analyses issues properly

One of the greatest obstacles to good governance in Nigeria is not necessarily the quality of politicians we elect, but the incentives we give them once they assume office.

Whether one believes Peter Obi is a bigot, Atiku Abubakar is corrupt, or Bola Tinubu is the best politician of his generation is beside the point. The real issue is that our political system encourages leaders to spend a significant portion of their first term preparing for a second one rather than focusing entirely on governance.

Imagine a system where every president knows there is no possibility of re-election. No need to please political godfathers, no need to conserve resources for campaign season, no need to spend years building electoral alliances instead of solving national problems. Such a leader would be judged solely on performance.

A performance based second-term presidency would force politicians to treat every day in office as valuable. Their legacy would depend entirely on what they achieve within that fixed period. The conversation would shift from politics to governance.

Unfortunately, many citizens have become part of the problem. Instead of evaluating leaders based on “measurable” outcomes such as security, infrastructure, economic growth, education, and healthcare, they often judge them based on ethnic or religious identity.

I remember having conversations during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 with people who strongly believed he should leave office. Their argument was simple and, at the time, quite persuasive: politicians should understand that they have only one term to prove they deserve a second. When Jonathan lost and Muhammadu Buhari came into office, I expected those same people to apply the same standard when Buhari’s first term failed to meet expectations. Instead, many found reasons to justify granting him another term. After what I considered an abysmal second term, I expected some reflection and a reassessment of that position. Yet many still found reasons why the APC should remain in power. Today, despite widespread concerns about the performance of the current administration, some continue to defend the party regardless of outcomes. That experience led me to a troubling realization: for many people, the issue was never primarily about performance. In many cases, ethnic and religious loyalties appeared to carry more weight than measurable results.

As a result, a politician can fail spectacularly yet still retain the support of a significant section of the population simply because he belongs to their tribe or shares their faith. When voters abandon performance as the primary criterion for political support, accountability becomes impossible.

A governor who cannot pay salaries, a president under whose watch insecurity worsens, or a leader who fails to improve the economy should have to answer difficult questions. Yet in many cases, criticism is dismissed as an attack on a region, tribe, or religion rather than an assessment of performance.

This culture weakens democracy. It allows politicians to focus more on identity politics than on delivering results. It tells leaders that competence is optional as long as they maintain loyalty among their ethnic or religious base.

Nigeria’s future depends on changing this mindset. Citizens must begin to demand results, not relationships. They must reward performance and punish failure at the ballot box regardless of who occupies the office.

The goal of democracy is not to elect “our own.” The goal is to elect those who can improve the lives of the people. Until performance becomes more important than tribe and religion, Nigeria will continue to struggle with the same governance challenges, regardless of who occupies Aso Rock.

Democracy works best when politicians fear the consequences of failure and expect rewards only for success. A second term should be reserved for leaders who have demonstrably improved the lives of the people. Anything less turns elections into a contest of identities rather than a judgment of performance.

#babzview

The only candidate Tinubu truly fears is Atiku, not Peter Obi. That’s why he’s doing everything possible to ensure Atiku’s name doesn’t appear on the ballot. Tinubu, the APC, their supporters and even Peter Obi himself know this reality, except many Obidients.

The combination Tinubu dreaded most was an Atiku-Obi alliance. But since Obi has agreed with terms, the next political objective now seems to be discouraging or preventing Atiku from contesting altogether.

Cheap phone is not cheap afterall.

So you expected him to say yes I’m working for Tinubu?

givedemwotowoto:
Take a look in the mirror.

Atiku lost Obi in 2023, lost Wike in 2023, had a rare opportunity to work with Obi in 2027 but lost him again.

What lesson did you learn from 2023?

The respectful parting of ways isn’t enough for you people, you keep insulting and attacking Peter Obi. All these disrespectful comments directed at PO and Obidients will rebound later, don’t play victim like Tinubu supporters when that happens.

On the contrary, Atiku did not lose Wike, he rejected him because he wasn’t desperate enough to become president at all costs or willing to work with someone like Wike just to achieve his ambition. It takes someone as desperate as Tinubu to agree to work with anyone, regardless of the baggage, just to grab power.

And I hope it won’t be too late before some of you realize that Obi has been trading away the closest opportunity the South East has ever had to get near Aso Rock. Try and connect the dots.

Sanwo-Olu allegedly financed Obi’s 2023 campaign through Pat Utomi, and today the same Pat Utomi is championing the “Obi or nothing” movement.

I just hope it won’t be too late before some of you wake up and see the bigger picture.

Boladogailese:
These people keep spreading rumors to discombobulate everything

One unique thing about you Obidients is that you don’t listen to learn; you listen to attack or defend. If Tinubu wins the 2027 election, it will partly be because many of you refused to learn from the mistakes of 2023. Same pattern, same strategy, same outcome. Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.

I remember when I wrote this article (https://www.nairaland.com/8493170/jonathans-return-game-shadows-not) in August last year, most people thought I was being paranoid or even crazy.

However, with all the pieces gradually falling into place, I hope my thoughts are beginning to make more sense now.

As I mentioned in my previous write-up, Jonathan coming on board may not necessarily be about winning the election outright, but rather about achieving two strategic objectives:

1. Payback: Atiku joined forces with the opposition to remove Jonathan from office in 2015. Politically, it would not be surprising if Jonathan decided to return the favour to his former ally.

2. Financial interests: As I explained in my earlier posts, the same political figure reportedly backing Obi’s movement is also believed to have the financial capacity to support Jonathan’s political ambition.

So, why Jonathan?
Tinubu underestimated Obi’s political strength in the 2023 election. It was like someone who started a wildfire and almost got consumed by it. He never expected Obi to pull that level of votes across the country.

Now, with Obi and Kwankwaso already commanding significant regional influence, it would be politically unwise not to look for someone capable of neutralizing their influence, especially in regions where they are expected to perform strongly. Jonathan appears to fit that role perfectly.

In simple terms, the argument is that both Obi and Jonathan may ultimately be serving the interests of the same political and financial power bloc, one powerful enough to sponsor both movements simultaneously.

Jonathan’s running mate is also likely to emerge from the North East, while the North West may already have been strategically secured through Kwankwaso.

When I said Jonathan and Obi are working for Tinubu some people started saying nonsense. What an elder sees sitting down, a child might not see it even when climbed a tree.

nairalanda1:
The problem is, tinubu and his predecessors are all alike.

That he removed subsidy does not change that idea, tinubu was forced to remove subsidy because there was no extra money in the budget...but then he brought it back, only for the financial pressure to force him to remove it again.

Nigerians want the government to subsidise everything they use and to pay for their housing , water supply, and so forth while they live the good life. Nothing fundamentally wrong with that, except that they want the government to spread 100 billion dollars on a good day among 230 million people.

That cannot work. Unless there is borrowing...and already a lot of the 100 billion dollars has gone to pay off oid debts.

Yes , there is corruption, and corruption is happening because the system encourages it. When you have an issue where most do not pay tax...as seen in Nigeria, and by tax, I mean personal income tax, what you have is a system where there is sharing of money, and the closer one is to where the money is shared, the more the corruption. And because Nigerians are not paying a chunk of their income in tax, like the whites do, they are not incentivised to fight for better leadership. Result is that leadership becomes an ethnic game...

And that is why we keep on having tinubus.

But most of you don';t get it. That is why many here think I am supporting tinubu, a man who left Lagos worse than it was before he came, and who is currently starving the power sector by his polices., among other things. And yes we suffer because we are a poor country. But ask Nigerians to vote for a leader who will take us to imprved productivity and fiscal discipline, and dem go call you agbasoeosde. The same tinubu that is doing the opposite of what one argues for.

That's why I am pissed with this site, and with online Nigeria. You guys want the easy way out, and your government always obliges. Then you cry when things don't change.

Tinubu was not forced into these decisions, he chose them. Yar’Adua already showed Nigerians that a president can reverse policies introduced by a predecessor if he truly wants to.

When Obasanjo, even with good intentions, attempted to remove fuel subsidy and privatize NNPC, Yar’Adua reversed those policies immediately after assuming office. Not necessarily because he completely opposed them, but because he understood the need to properly study their impact before implementation.

You said you lived in Lagos during Tinubu’s tenure as governor, so you should understand the kind of leadership he represented. This is someone who never genuinely cared about the welfare of ordinary people. I still remember when many communities enjoyed pipe-borne water through the Ministry of Water Resources. Over time, basic social benefits disappeared while taxes and levies kept increasing.

He knows how to generate and collect money, but not how to use that money to improve the lives of the people from whom it was collected.

Nobody has convincingly explained why Lagos State, the richest state in Nigeria, is also one of the most indebted. Lagos generates in one month what some states like Akwa Ibom may not generate in an entire year, yet when you visit Akwa Ibom, you can clearly see visible development and infrastructure compared to the chaos and underdevelopment many people keep celebrating in Lagos.

Counterigbolies:
tell me how obi did all these things better as governor in Anambra?

I’m not a fan of Obi or defending him, but if Obi had just 10% of what Tinubu spent in developing Lagos state, he would have turned Anambra to Dubai or small London. Have you visited other eastern states? Just take a trip to Akwa Ibom or other states in that region and see what responsible governments are using their limited resources to do.

Nemesis0147:
bro I don’t know the kind of souls and mind these Tinubu supporters have…let’s assume that they are doing well and the government is favoring them,,,,what about the remaining 95 percent of the citizens that are practically struggling?
Don’t they don’t conscience?
Omor wetin God go judge plenty…ALLAH

Do you know the story of Jesus of Oyingbo? Despite the suffering, hardship, and pain his followers endured under him, they still worshipped and defended him till the very end. That is the dangerous power of hypnosis and blind loyalty.

The supporters you are talking about have reached that stage. They have become so emotionally attached to this government that they can never admit anything is wrong, no matter how obvious the failure is.

Even when the policies are hurting them directly, they will still defend it and insist that the suffering is necessary for a better future. Even in hunger and hardship, they will keep justifying incompetence instead of demanding accountability.

nairalanda1:
Nigerians, both the government supporters and the non government.suporters have no idea as to how to run the economy of the country at all

Make we leave am.for their delusions




Tinubu must go. That one I agree. But at the.end dem wan replace am.with another Tinubu

I disagree. If politicians know that they have only one term to prove that they deserve a second term, they would sit tight. But because we have so many insolent people that praise a failure like tinubu, we would continue to have non performing politicians. Despite the glaring failure of Buhari, he completed his 2 terms at the detriment of Nigerians. That’s what gave tinubu the audacity to wanting to go for a second term.

Princedapace:
Like bro, i wish to see face to face people like that guy's comment u quoted, like who dey heck told them that two term is a birth right?
I have said this many times, we need to learn to chase politicians out after one term and learn to investigate pass presidents and governors. Why has no ex president tried? Why cant they be tried? How can these men mess up Nigeria and go freely? It is like u cant try these men, why? But each day they keep making laws that suffocate us the masses but can never make laws that suffocate the politicians.
Until politicians learn to fear the masses, we cant achieve anything. By the time we remove two parties, like we need a system where if the president fails, we remove all memebers of his party across the country. If we do it three times, others will learn.

Bro, I agree with you 100%. Unfortunately, most Nigerians are so docile. Sometimes I wonder if they have been bewitched because that’s the only explanation I have for slaves that are praising their slave master.

Counterigbolies:
tell us the policies of tinubu that obi will reverse?

Ani e ponu seh, Walahi! If no be spiritual slavery, bewitchment, or blind loyalty, how can any right-thinking person still defend a government like Tinubu’s?

This is not even about reversing policies; it’s about prioritizing good governance over exploitation and corruption. Every day, the government introduces new taxes, removes subsidies from everything that once gave ordinary Nigerians small relief, and then channels the money into inflated contracts and questionable spending without due process.

Tell me one real benefit the average Nigerian is enjoying under this government. Just one.

Public school fees have increased outrageously, yet the solution they offer is student loans for poor citizens. Imagine a civil servant now needing loans just to send their children to government-owned schools.

How many honest civil servants today can genuinely build a house or buy even a tokunbo car with their salaries without resorting to corruption or side hustles?

My brother, you don’t have to defend failure simply because the people in power share your ethnicity or religion. Bad governance is bad governance.

Counterigbolies:
so u want to pretend that students ain't enjoying nelfund right?

See that your agulu packaged fraud will never b president n tinubu will rule u for good 8 years

People like you are the reason these politicians keep staying in office even when they’ve clearly failed to perform or deliver results. If politicians knew they had only one term to prove they truly deserve a second, they would take governance more seriously. But people like you, driven by ethnic bias and religious sentiments, would rather support an underperforming politician just so they can complete an 8-year tenure. With this mindset, it’s hard to see hope for Nigeria, and sometimes I can’t help but question why God placed me in the same part of the world with people who think like you.

LordBiden:
Even the coastal road I think only about 35km has been completed,if tinubu doesn't win that means it becomes another abandoned project.

Umahi will then pocket the remaining billions for the road

What’s your point exactly? So Tinubu should continue so that he can compete the coaster road? I don’t understand your point l.

Which one is ACP again? It’s quite obvious that Tinubu is trying afraid of Atiku. Obi and kwankwaso have been the tool that Tinubu uses to split Atiku’s vote.

LordBiden:
The problem is that Cameroonian called Atiku,he should have just acted as party leader of ADC and allow Obi to be the consensus candidate.
They can make an agreement to share offices like vice,senate president and other juicy port folios.

His marabout keeps deceiving him that he would one day be president.

The combination of Atikus support+obi + kwankwoso could have helped ADC defeat APC.

On what basis should Atiku step down for someone like Obi? A candidate who secured over 7 million votes is now expected to step down for someone who had around 1 million? That logic simply doesn’t add up.

I honestly struggle to understand the reasoning behind this. The same political pattern we saw in 2023 seems to be playing out again toward 2027, yet many don’t appear to recognize it.

From my perspective, this looks like a deliberate strategy to fragment the opposition. There are claims that Tinubu’s camp is indirectly enabling Obi’s momentum while also accommodating Kwankwaso’s demands to maintain political advantage. Kwankwaso’s move to ADC, for instance, could be interpreted as a tactical play to strengthen his bargaining position.

What we may be seeing is a repeat of a familiar approach, divide the opposition, weaken their collective strength, and secure an easier path to victory. If that’s the case, then it’s worth asking whether history is quietly repeating itself while people assume progress is being made.

Softmirror:
Empty noise.

I hope my empty noise is beginning to make meaning sound