New data from StatiSense reveals that the 2024 budgets allocated to governors’ offices in four Nigerian states exceed their total internally generated revenue (IGR) from the previous year.
According to this analysis, the budgets for the governors’ offices in Cross River, Imo, Anambra, and Taraba states are each higher than the entire IGR these states generated in 2023.
StatiSense, a tech company specializing in data and information management, shared these findings on its verified X handle on Wednesday.
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The data shows that Imo State allocated 206% of its 2023 IGR for the Governor’s office in 2024, with a budget of N43.05 billion against an IGR of only N21.05 billion from the prior year.
Similarly, Cross River budgeted N53.39 billion, which is 169% of its 2023 IGR of N31.56 billion.
Anambra State, under the leadership of former Central Bank Governor and economist Charles Soludo, allocated N33.97 billion to the Governor’s office for 2024, a sum representing 102% of its previous year’s IGR of N33.46 billion.
Taraba State’s allocation of N13.31 billion for the Governor’s office in 2024 is also higher than its entire IGR of N10 billion for 2023.
Read Also: 10 States With Highest IGR In 2023
In contrast, states like Ondo, Edo, Kaduna, Lagos, and Kwara dedicated much smaller portions of their IGR to the Governor’s office. Ondo allocated just 5%, followed by Edo and Kaduna at 6% each, Lagos at 8%, and Kwara at 9%.
Notably, Lagos allocated the highest total budget to the Governor’s office in 2024 at N65.2 billion, yet it generated a substantial IGR of N815 billion in 2023.
The discrepancy in budget allocations can partly be attributed to the varying agencies included under each state’s Governor’s office budget.
At the federal level, for instance, the State House budget includes entities such as the EFCC, ICPC, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, and the Bureau of Public Procurement.
However, concerns persist regarding transparency in state budgeting, particularly given the history of corruption among some state executives.
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