₦airaland Forum

Nigeria is drowning in record debt, mass poverty, and a security crisis that has turned many states into war zones, yet some governors are quietly delivering real projects while others are burning through allocations with nothing to show. This ranking leans on hard data like IGR growth, fiscal sustainability, and capital-expenditure performance from sources such as BudgIT, NBS, and reputable media—not party noise or social media PR.​

In plain terms, some governors are delivering, while others are wasting their mandate and steering their states into a debt-and-poverty trap. The “heroes” below are not perfect, but they show verifiable movement on revenue, infrastructure, and budget discipline, while the “failures” are either deep in debt, starving capital projects, or presiding over states with collapsing services.

The 10 Heroes (Top Performers)

10. Zamfara – Dauda Lawal

Zamfara recorded a stunning over 240% surge in IGR, moving from the bottom of the national IGR ranking to mid-table in BudgIT’s 2024 State of States report, a rare turnaround for a conflict-hit state. This kind of revenue leap is the difference between a state that is serious about survival and one that is content to beg Abuja forever.​

9. Enugu – Peter Mbah

Enugu is listed among states allocating over 85% of their budgets to capital projects, showing an aggressive push for infrastructure over recurrent waste. In a country where many governors hide under salaries and overhead, that high capital-expenditure focus marks Enugu as one of the outliers actually trying to build.​

8. Imo – Hope Uzodimma

Imo also sits in the group of “aspiring spenders on capital projects,” with more than 85% of its budget reportedly directed at infrastructure, according to independent budget analysis. Whatever anyone thinks about politics in Owerri, that kind of capital-heavy budgeting is the opposite of the usual Nigerian style of consuming everything and building nothing.​

7. Niger – Mohammed Umaru Bago

Niger State is highlighted for very high capital-expenditure ambition, with over 85% of its budget tied to infrastructural development, even though past budget performance exposed major gaps. The intent to push hard on capital projects in a state that previously implemented barely around 40% of its budget shows a break from the old “sleep and collect allocation” attitude.​

6. Anambra – Charles Soludo

Anambra reportedly channels about 44–45% of its budget into capital projects, a level that places it above many states that prefer to pour money into salaries and political overhead. In a small but commercially strategic state, this tilt toward infrastructure rather than pure consumption is a deliberate development signal.​

5. Jigawa – Umar Namadi

Jigawa is listed among states with notable capital-expenditure allocation, dedicating over 30% of its budget to infrastructure, which keeps it ahead of many peers in the North. In a region battling poverty and low human development indices, that sort of capital focus is one of the few rational paths out of dependency.​

4. Ogun – Dapo Abiodun

Ogun State commits about 26–27% of its budget to capital projects, as reported in national budget-performance reviews, while maintaining a diversified IGR base driven by industry and proximity to Lagos. For a state often underrated in the national conversation, this balance of revenue and infrastructure spending shows quiet, data-backed performance rather than loud propaganda.​

3. Rivers – Siminalayi Fubara

Rivers State tops BudgIT’s 2024 State of States fiscal-performance ranking, indicating strong revenue capacity and relatively sustainable debt management. In real terms, Rivers is one of the few states that is not just rich on paper but is rated as fiscally stable, meaning it has room to fund projects without collapsing under debt.​

2. FCT (Minister, but key benchmark) – Nyesom Wike

The FCT ranks among the very top in IGR volume, with over N200 billion generated in 2023 according to NBS, placing it just behind Lagos in internal revenue. The combination of strong revenue performance and continuous visible projects in the capital makes the FCT a benchmark for what is possible when a territory actually collects and deploys its own money.​

1. Lagos – Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Lagos remains Nigeria’s undisputed IGR champion, generating over N800 billion in 2023—far above any other state—while allocating more than 60% of its budget to capital expenditure, including massive transport and urban projects. Whatever the arguments about cost of living, on raw numbers Lagos is the clearest example of a subnational government combining huge revenue with a strong capital-spending ratio, not just swallowing everything in salaries.​

The 5 Absolute Failures (Bottom Performers)

5. Taraba – Agbu Kefas

Taraba appears at the bottom of the NBS IGR ranking, posting one of the lowest internally generated revenues in the entire country despite decades of existence and natural resources. When a state’s IGR is languishing around the very bottom while poverty stays high, that is a textbook case of wasted mandate.​

4. Yobe – Mai Mala Buni

Yobe is flagged at the bottom of a national ranking of state budgets, pairing low capacity with weak development outcomes. A state with such fragile education and health indicators cannot afford this kind of fiscal weakness, yet its budget profile screams chronic underperformance.​

3. Gombe – Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya

Gombe is listed near the bottom, just above Yobe, in assessments of state budgets and fiscal strength, signaling a serious gap between projected spending and actual developmental impact. In a region needing aggressive capital investment, this pattern looks less like leadership and more like steady drift toward a debt-and-poverty trap.​

2. Ekiti – Biodun Oyebanji

Ekiti is singled out among states that prioritise salaries and operational costs over development, with analysts questioning why so little is channeled to capital projects compared to peers. When a small, education-driven state starves infrastructure while pumping money into recurrent costs, it is effectively choosing short-term political comfort over long-term growth—a strategic failure.​

1. Osun – Ademola Adeleke (Absolute Worst)

Osun is explicitly mentioned as a state that tilts spending heavily toward salaries and overhead instead of capital projects, even as its debt and revenue challenges persist. In a nation battling infrastructure decay, this kind of budget structure is a total disaster, locking the state into a cycle where money is consumed, not invested, and future generations are left to pay the bill.

In Summary

The numbers show a brutal divide: some governors are pushing high IGR, strong fiscal rankings, and heavy capital spending, while others are content with low revenue, weak budgets, and a consumption mentality that guarantees more poverty and debt. In the same country, under the same federal structure, one group is clearly delivering, and the other is simply stealing time and opportunity from their citizens.​

Do you agree with this brutal assessment, or is your governor on the wrong list? Which governor do you personally consider the worst performer we missed, and what specific facts or projects can you bring to prove it on Nairaland?​

WHEN DID IGR BECOME A DEVELOPMENT INDEX?
IGR IS EVIL AND UNETHICAL
IGR IS A DEMONIC AND CRUDE TAXATION WHICH ORIGINATED FROM LAGOS .. IT USES UNETHICAL AND INHUMAN MEANS SUCH AS TOUTS, THUGS, AGBEROS AND ICT TO EXPLOIT UNSUSPECTING CITIZENS.

IGR OR TAXATION MUST BE REJECTED AS AN INDICES OF GROWTH OR DEVELOPMENT

Adeleke is the worst performer.

I understand your concerns, and you are right that the way some states enforce IGR—especially through touts, harassment, and non-transparent collection systems—is absolutely wrong and deserves to be condemned. No citizen should be intimidated or exploited in the name of revenue.

However, it is important to separate the concept of IGR from the abuse of IGR.

Every responsible society funds public services through some form of revenue: schools, hospitals, roads, sanitation, and security all depend on internally generated funds. In economics and development planning, IGR is not considered “evil”; it is simply a measure of how much a state can sustain itself without depending entirely on federal allocation.

The real issue is not whether IGR exists but how it is collected and how it is used.

A high IGR can reflect:

- A growing business environment
- Better tax administration (not thuggery)
- More formalized economic activities
- Increased accountability in government finances

If the collection process is corrupt or abusive, the solution is reform, not total rejection. What we should be demanding is:

- Transparent, technology-driven tax systems
- Elimination of touts and agberos in revenue collection
- Clear communication on where taxes are going
- Policies that make taxation fair, humane, and productive

Condemning IGR itself is like condemning electricity because some people steal wires. The issue is misuse, not the concept.

- A state without IGR cannot provide development, cannot pay salaries reliably, and cannot grow its economy.
- A state with ethical, transparent, citizen-friendly IGR stands a far better chance of real development.

thisisit:
WHEN DID IGR BECOME A DEVELOPMENT INDEX?
IGR IS EVIL AND UNETHICAL
IGR IS A DEMONIC AND CRUDE TAXATION WHICH ORIGINATED FROM LAGOS .. IT USES UNETHICAL AND INHUMAN MEANS SUCH AS TOUTS, THUGS, AGBEROS AND ICT TO EXPLOIT UNSUSPECTING CITIZENS.

IGR OR TAXATION MUST BE REJECTED AS AN INDICES OF GROWTH OR DEVELOPMENT

Sometimes, people write as though they don't know what's happening in this country. What's Hope Uzodinma doing on that list? That man should be among the worst!

SmartPolician:
Sometimes, people write as though they don't know what's happening in this country. What's Hope Uzodinma doing on that list? That man should be among the worst!

I asked myself this question.
Of all people, hope uzodinma.
It’s obvious the thread is sponsored.

I'm not sure I like governor soludo, but I think the guy is trying

It seems Dapo Abiodun paid you to include his name among performing governors. He should actually be the worst among them

Rankings that include Dapo Abiodun's name come from media outlets, analysts, or government reports, and these are based on their own criteria.

At the same time, calling him “the worst governor” is an opinion, not a fact. Some people strongly criticise his performance, while others highlight his projects and achievements.

pdppower:
It seems Dapo Abiodun paid you to include his name among performing governors. He should actually be the worst among them

thisisit:
WHEN DID IGR BECOME A DEVELOPMENT INDEX?
IGR IS EVIL AND UNETHICAL
IGR IS A DEMONIC AND CRUDE TAXATION WHICH ORIGINATED FROM LAGOS .. IT USES UNETHICAL AND INHUMAN MEANS SUCH AS TOUTS, THUGS, AGBEROS AND ICT TO EXPLOIT UNSUSPECTING CITIZENS.

IGR OR TAXATION MUST BE REJECTED AS AN INDICES OF GROWTH OR DEVELOPMENT

I swear down, you must have lived in Lagos before or you are still living in Lagos.

I love Delta state 10x than Lagos.
Rivers State is a mono city state.

I beg lemme just leave it there.
Open the Ports in other state and see Lagos fall like a pack of cards.

Smelly things!
Rub-bish IGR ratings!

This is based on IGR. Its effect is not been felt on the Masses, maybe in some other states mentioned. But you see that ogun state......make i just shut up!

HgAkpobomeEr:
Adeleke is the worst performer.

Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State should be competing with Adeleke on that list of incompetence & utter failure.

why??
they no mention oyo state??

Sen. Hope Uzodinma made the list of top 10 performing Governors while Dr. Alex Otti no see him period here? Una too much o

What is Bago of niger state doing in top performing governors in your list? Why is Alex otti of abia state not in top failures in your list?

Adeleke is not worst o,atleast he is dancing