Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said Nigerians have the right to reject a government after its first four years if its policies fail to improve their living conditions, faulting the Federal Government’s economic reforms over rising poverty.
He said leadership should be assessed not only by improvements in economic indicators but also by the impact of government policies on citizens’ livelihoods.
The governor stated this in a newsletter released on Thursday, in which he compared his administration’s approach to governance in Oyo State with the Federal Government’s economic policies under President Bola Tinubu.
He acknowledged that the removal of petrol subsidy and the adoption of a more flexible foreign exchange regime were supported by economic arguments but insisted that the consequences for ordinary Nigerians must also be considered.
“Policies tell you what a government wants to change. The order in which it chooses to make those changes tells you how that government thinks,” he said.
Makinde explained that his administration, which assumed office in 2019, prioritised the payment of workers’ salaries, pensions and inherited gratuity arrears while pursuing infrastructure development.
According to him, Oyo State’s development agenda focused on the economy, education, healthcare and security, with efforts to meet workers’ and pensioners’ entitlements despite competing demands on public finances.
He said the government could have prioritised infrastructure at the expense of workers and pensioners but chose to pursue both obligations simultaneously.
“Instead of choosing between paying people and building infrastructure, we chose to do both. We paid salaries consistently. We regularised pension payments. We began clearing inherited gratuity arrears,” he said.
The governor disclosed that personnel costs accounted for about 70 per cent of Oyo State’s federal receipts during a four-year period, prompting his administration to explore alternative financing arrangements for infrastructure projects.
He cited the Alternative Project Funding Approach, under which contractors financed selected projects upfront while the state government repaid the costs over an agreed period..
Makinde maintained that the approach reflected his administration’s decision to meet its obligations while continuing to invest in development.
Turning to the Federal Government’s economic reforms, he argued that their success should not be measured solely by improvements in macroeconomic indicators but also by whether Nigerians could afford basic necessities and maintain decent living standards.
“Reform is not only about fixing the numbers. It is also about how people survive the transition,” he said.
The governor claimed that Nigeria’s poverty rate had risen from about 56 per cent in 2023 to approximately 62 per cent in 2026, representing an estimated 23 million additional people living in poverty.
He said that although the Federal Government had highlighted assessments by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund indicating improvements in macroeconomic stability, the benefits had not translated sufficiently into better living conditions for the majority of Nigerians.
“These 23 million are not just numbers. They are our parents, neighbours, friends and children. Macroeconomic stability has not translated at the same pace into jobs, lower poverty and improved living standards for the majority of Nigerians,” Makinde said.
He added that the Federal Government must accept responsibility for the social consequences of its economic policies.
The governor called for a balance between structural economic reforms and measures to protect citizens’ ability to earn a living, work and contribute to national development.
“For me, leadership must be able to think about two things at once: what structural change does the economy need? And how do we protect people’s ability to live, work and produce while we make that change?” he said.
Makinde argued that a single presidential term should provide sufficient time for Nigerians to assess a leader’s priorities and determine whether the administration deserves another mandate.
“And if, after four years, a leader has not been able to make those choices work for the people, Nigerians have every right to say: let us try someone else,” he said.
He also linked the argument to his proposed institutional reforms, saying a clearly defined agenda, backed by measurable targets, could deliver significant changes across key sectors within a single term.
According to him, his proposed agenda would outline what Nigerians should expect within the first three years of implementation and establish benchmarks for assessing progress.
Makinde said the next election would require voters to determine whether they agreed with the government’s approach to leadership and were satisfied with its policy priorities.
“So, the next election is ultimately about two questions: do you agree with how this government is thinking? Are you satisfied with what it has chosen to prioritise?” he asked.
He urged eligible Nigerians to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards and participate in the forthcoming election.
