Tinubu's Reforms Boost States: Ex-Borno Gov Sheriff Says Eight-Year Funds Now Monthly

Former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, has asserted that President Bola Tinubu's economic policies have significantly increased federal allocations to states, with some now receiving in a few months what Borno State accrued over his entire eight-year tenure. Sheriff, who led Borno from 2003 to 2011, made these comments on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television, where he staunchly defended the President's economic agenda.

His remarks came in response to a recent call by Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, who earlier on the same day urged President Tinubu to resign or abandon any re-election aspirations. Obi had argued that Tinubu should face the same scrutiny he applied to former President Goodluck Jonathan regarding insecurity before the 2015 elections, suggesting the current security challenges indicate a failure of leadership.

Sheriff countered, attributing the enhanced revenue available for state distribution through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) directly to the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Tinubu. He highlighted the stark difference in figures, stating that Borno received approximately N150 billion in federal allocations throughout his eight years as governor. In contrast, he noted that some states are currently receiving as much as N55 billion in monthly allocations.

"If you go online today and look at the allocations to states, look at the ten highest state allocations, you’ll see that some states got as much as N55 billion in one month," Sheriff stated. He continued, "In my eight years in governance, my total allocation was about N150 billion for eight years. This is what one state now gets in two or three months. If you go by what’s on record, you’ll see that Tinubu has done a lot. He wanted the country to progress; he wanted freedom for the states."

The former governor further defended the fuel subsidy removal, describing it as a critical measure that averted a national fiscal crisis. He explained, "If, at the time, Tinubu had not removed the fuel subsidy, this country wouldn’t even have been able to pay its bills for that month. And not only that, he did not take the money for himself; he gave it to the states."

Sheriff insisted that President Tinubu deserved praise rather than condemnation for his administration's economic management. "I don’t take a brief for His Excellency the President, but I can tell you for sure that what President Tinubu has done in this country to move it forward deserves your kudos, not your condemnation," he added.

Addressing the issue of insecurity, Sheriff emphasized that tackling security challenges is not solely the responsibility of the Federal Government. He pointed out that state governments also have significant constitutional roles to play in ensuring security. "And on the issue of insecurity, yes, security is the responsibility of the federal government, but what people don’t realise is that it is also the responsibility of the states. Look at the concurrent legislative list: states also have responsibility for security," he elaborated.

He further stressed the distributed nature of governance across the nation: "In Nigeria, we have over 8,200 wards, and all the institutions of government are in the states. Every state governor controls the local governments, controls district heads, controls the traditional and religious leaders. This has to be a partnership, we all have responsibilities. You and I have a responsibility to this country too. We shouldn’t just go around condemning the President whenever there’s insecurity in Nigeria."