Hardship: Shehu Sani Reacts as Nigerian Governors Get N570 Billion to Support Citizens

• On Sunday, August 4, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu listed achievements purportedly made by his administration, claiming, for example, that 36 states received N573 billion to expand livelihood support for citizens under his administration
• However, Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo, notably said the money did not come from the federal government
• Wading into the matter, Senator Shehu Sani posted a terse message on his verified X account on Friday, August 9

Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs.

FCT, Abuja - Shehu Sani, a former senator who represented Kaduna Central in the national assembly, has insinuated that the source of the N570 billion released to state governors does not matter.

Legit.ng recalls that in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, August 4, following the 'End Bad Governance in Nigeria' protests that grounded activities in major cities of the country, President Tinubu claimed that his administration had released more than N570 billion to states.

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But on Thursday, August 8, the governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, countered the president's claim and said the money was not a handout or bailout from Tinubu’s government to the 36 states to expand the livelihood support to citizens across the country. Rather, it was part of the world bank-assisted NG-CARES project, a programme for results intervention aimed at helping states to recover from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reacting to the rejoinder from the Oyo governor, Sani wrote on his known X (formerly Twitter) page on Friday, August 9:

"Whether the money shared to the states is from the FG or the World Bank it’s still money."

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31 states owe N340 billion bailout funds

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a total of N339.9 billion is owed by 31 state governments for loans acquired between 2015 and 2023 to cover workers' salaries.

Additionally, these state governments still had outstanding debts totalling N339.97 billion, alongside a default on a loan amounting to N1.31 billion.

Source: Legit.ng