What The 36 State Governors Are Budgeting For 2024

By Emmanuel Uffot

As a clear departure from what used to be years ago when most state Governors in Nigeria presented their budgets on January, at the last count as at December 31, 2023 all the 36 Governors had presented their budgets for 2024.
A breakdown across the six geo- political zones indicates that South- West led with a total cumulative budget of ₦4.20 trillion from the six states, followed by South- South with total budget of ₦3.43 trillion also from the six states making up the zone.
Coming behind the South-South zone, is North West with cumulative budget of₦2.50 trillion from seven states.
South East follows with ₦2. 29 trillion from five states, North Central had a total of ₦1.89 trillion from six states while North East trailed with ₦1.60 trillion from the six states making up the zone.
A glance at the different state’s budgets from the respective geo-political zones, shows that in the South-West, Sanwa- Olu of Lagos State presented the highest budget not only among the South- West states but in Nigeria with a total budget of ₦2.50 trillion. Following Lagos in the zone is Ogun State which Dapo Abiodun who like Sanwa-Olu is doing his second term presented a total of ₦703.03 billion for 2024. Oyo with Ibadan reputed to be the largest city in West Africa has a budget of ₦434.22 billion from Seyi Makinde also in his second term.
Ondo State which recently had the deputy governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa sworn in as the substantive Governor after the demise of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, had the new Governor presenting ₦384.53 billion as 2024 budget. Ondo is followed by Ademola Adeleke’s budget of ₦273.915 billion for Osun State, and Ekiti like Lagos but in opposite direction, presented the lowest budget ₦159. 57 billion not only in the South-West but in the country.
Following the South-West with huge budgets, is the South-South zone known as the Niger Delta region.
Like Lagos, leading the South-South with the highest budget is Akwa Ibom State with Pastor Umo Eno presenting ₦845.63 billion as his 2024 budget. The budget as a clear departure from before, sets aside the chunk of it for capital expenditure over recurrent expenditure. Again, the Akwa Ibom State budget is the second highest in the country after Lagos that hit the trillion mark.
Following Akwa Ibom in the zone and the third highest over all is Rivers State with ₦800 billion.
Governor Similayi Fubara who was embroiled in power tussle with his acclaimed godfather Nyesome Wike the FCT Minister, still brave it to submit the budget to a faction of the divided State House of Assembly.
On the trail of Rivers State is Delta State,which the new Governor Sheriff Oborevwori a new Governor like Eno and Fubara unveiled a budget of ₦724.90 billion. Bayelsa has ₦480.99 billion presented by Governor Douye Diri who was re-elected last year November.
For Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, his budget of ₦325.3 billion is his last as Edo people will go to the polls this year to elect his successor.
Cross River which has a veteran legislator now Governor in person of Bassey Otu, presented the lowest budget of ₦250 billion in the zone.
Leading the South East states with the highest budget is Imo with Governor Hope Uzodinma who like his Bayelsa State counterpart won re-election in November 4, 2023 governorship election, has a budget of ₦592.23 billion for ‘ Imolites’ followed by Abia which has Alex Otti also a new Governor presenting ₦521.56 bn budget for 2024.
Peter Mbah of Enugu who had his election upheld by the Supreme Court has a budget of ₦521.56 bn and Ebonyi, the salt city leads the rear in the zone with a budget of ₦202.13 billion from newly elected governor Francis Nwafuru.

Leading the Northern zone is North West with a total budget of ₦2.50 trillion from the seven states. Kaduna State also with new Governor Uba Sani surprisingly, leads Kano reputed to be business capital of the north with a budget of ₦458. 27 billion followed by Katsina with ₦454.31 bn.
Abba Yusuf whose fate hangs on the pending verdict of the Supreme Court to determine his status as elected governor or not presented ₦437 billion as the state’s 2024 budget.
Zamfara had ₦423.52 as her budget, Jigawa ₦298.45, Sokoto, the seat of Caliphate has ₦270.1 billion and Kebbi ₦250.13 bn.
Following the North -West there is North- Central with total budgets of ₦1.89 trillion from six states.
Leading that zone and North in general is Niger State with a budget of ₦613.27 billion. On the heel of Niger, known as the ‘ Power State’ in North Central is Plateau State still trying to recover from Christmas Eve massacre by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The Governor Caleb Muftang, another newly elected governor, who like Yusuf of Kano is also awaiting the Supreme Court ruling on his appeal, presented a budget of ₦295.43 billion followed by AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara who is in his second term. He presented a budget of ₦286.40 billion.
Kogi has a budget of ₦258.28 billion for 2024. Incidentally the budget was presented by the outgoing Governor Yahaya Bello, but his successor the incoming elected governor Usman Ododo that will implement the budget as Bello leaves office this month.
Benue known as the ‘ food basket of Nigeria with Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia as newly elected governor has a budget of ₦225.73 billion for 2024.
In the North East, formerly the enclave of Boko Haram which comes the least in the volume of budgets among the zones in Nigeria altogether has a cumulative budget of ₦1.60 trillion from the six states.
Borno State, piloted by Zulum also in his second term leads the zone with a budget of₦340.62 billion followed by Taraba State with another new Governor at the driver’s seat, Agbu Kefas presenting a budget of ₦311.39 billion, Bauchi has ₦300.22 billion as her budget for 2024, Adamawa has ₦225.89 billion and Yobe ₦217 billion.
An overview of the budgets of the respective states listed states with huge budgets as, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Ogun, Enugu, Niger, Imo, Bayelsa, Kaduna, Katsina , Kano and Zamfara.
These states have budgets of over ₦400 billion.
Also the following states, mostly from the the North East have low budgets of below ₦300 billion.
They are Nassarawa, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe and Ekiti which holds the record as the state with the least budget for 2024.
billion.
However, if huge size of budgets are anything to go by, the believe of onlookers could easily lump states with over ₦500 billion as viable states.
This is contrary and without prejudice to the 2022 report of the Economic Confidential, a subsidiary of PR Nigeria which listed, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Kaduna, Kwara, Oyo and Edo states as most viable states in Nigeria.