Best Performing Governors In Nigeria 2024: It has been more than a year since the last gubernatorial election took place in Nigeria, that is 18th of March 2023.
The 2023 gubernatorial election brought in about 31 state governors in different regions of the country.
However, it has been almost a year since they were sworn into office as governors.
Upon assuming office almost a year ago, some of these governors have little or nothing to show as successful projects they have executed rather they have focused on increasing the standard of their living and that of their families and friends neglecting the needs of the people at large.
Painfully, after their tenure when asked the reason for their poor performance, they attribute it to inheriting an already bad state condition from their predecessors.
Thankfully, some other current governors are changing that narrative and have taken up their responsibilities and have executed projects that are very visible to even non-indigenes of the state.
Some have gone further to improve the economy of their states, attract foreign investors, and also ensure the safety of lives and properties in their various states.
Recall, that the governors serve as the chief executive officer of a state and has the following key duties and responsibilities to the people he is governing;
a). Formulation and implementation of policies in the state
b). Appointment of commissioners, heads of government agencies, and other key state government officials
c). Partnering with security agencies to ensure peace, security, and protection of lives and properties within the state.
d). Presentation of yearly budget to the state house of assembly.
e). Attraction of foreign investors to the state economic ecosystem
In this article, we will be discussing some of the best and most exceptional governors (leaders) who have not just made promises to their people, but have executed or have a tangible project ongoing within the state.
In the course of this article, we will be listing some of their outstanding projects, policies, and reactions to the needs of the people within the state and also opinions and compliments from external government policy analysts.
Please note that these governors are ranked in no particular other.
See Also: Busiest Roads/Highway In Nigeria 2024
Top 10 Best Performing Governors In Nigeria 2024
1. Alex Otti (Governor Of Abia State)
Alex Otti is a prominent Nigerian banker, politician, philanthropist, economist, and currently the executive governor of Abia State.
The 59-year-old politician resumed office as the governor of Abia state on 29th of May, 2023 after winning the state gubernatorial election in March 2023.
H.E Governor Alex Otti belongs to the Labour Party (LP) and upon resuming office has brought a lot of smiles to the faces of the people of Abia state.
Aside from that, some external spectators have given nothing but positive compliments to the governor since he assumed office.
A lot of indigenes of Abia have been singing his praises and have called him “God sent” because of his positive political impact on the lives of an average Abia indigene.
Despite taking over the bad state government from his predecessor, Alex Otti has proven that Abia state can be great again within his one year of governance.
Let us look at some of Governor Alex Otti’s notable achievements since assuming office as the executive governor of Abia State;
Some Achievements of Alex Otti (Governor of Abia State)
a). Commissioned 181-megawatt Geometric Power Plant.
b). Commissioned 30-kilometer Arochukwu-Ndi Okereke-Okobo-Ozuabam Road.
c). Attracted foreign investors into Abia State.
d). Payment of Pensioner’s Arrears.
e). Reduced Cost of Governance.
There are speculations that if Governor Alex Otti continues at this pace of development, Abia state might become a mega-city.
2. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Governor of Lagos State)
H.E Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is the current executive governor of the mega-city Lagos State.
He Assumed office in 2019 and was re-elected into office for his second tenure in March 2023 as a result of his outstanding governance performance.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is the 15th governor of Lagos state has by far outperformed several other governors in Nigeria in executing his duties as a governor.
In his 5 years of governance (as of 2024), Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has completed and commissioned the following projects.
a). Commissioned 34 Roads in the following locations in Lagos; Victoria Island, Kosofe, Somolu, and Ikoyi.
b). Commissioned 3 network Roads at Victoria Island and Oniru.
c). Completed the 380-meter-long Railway (Blue Line Rail) from Mile 2 to Marina.
d). Constructed and Renovated Public schools in different parts of the state.
e). Constructed and Renovated public Health care centers in different parts of the state.
f). Donated security equipment to security agencies to ensure peace and security within the state.
The above are the key achievements of H.E Sanwo-Olu since assuming office.
It is important to note that the above listed, are not the only achievements by Mr. Sanwo-Olu.
Several other mini-projects have been completed or are currently ongoing within the state.
3. Seyi Makinde (Governor of Oyo State)
H.E. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde assumed office as the governor of Oyo State in the 2019 gubernatorial elections.
Mr. Seyi Makinde (as he is professionally known) belongs to the People’s democratic party (PDP) political party and is known to be one of the best governors in that political party.
Governor Seyi Makinde has completed visible projects in Oyo state that have attracted the praises of her indigenes.
Indigenes of Oyo state claim that a lot of his policy implementation has been intentional to take them from poverty to prosperity.
Some of his achievements include:
a). Commissioned the rural feeder and farm settlement roads project in Oyo state
b). Broaden state government tax base
c). Provided support system and information to SMEs operating within the state.
d). Establishments of Cottage Industries in Commodities clustered areas.
e). Payment of Oyo state workers’ salaries as when due.
There are several other projects commenced and completed during his tenure that are not mentioned here.
4. Mohammed Umar Bago (Governor of Niger State)
The outstanding Nigerian banker and political figure, Mr. Mohammed Umar Bago assumed office as the executive governor of Niger State in May 2023 after the last gubernatorial election and has devoted efforts to increasing the agricultural produce of the state.
In one of his posts on Twitter (now X), he emphasized that Agriculture is key to his government and as such intends to invest in that sector of the economy to take advantage of Niger State Large Landmass.
As a result of the visible effort to improve the agricultural sector of the state, He has been nicknamed the “Farmer Governor”.
Thankfully, His agricultural policies so far have been yielding a positive impact on the indigenes of Niger state.
Aside Agricultural revolution, Gov. Mohammed Umar Bago also stated that his government improved the security system of the state and ensured the protection of lives and property in the state.
5. Prof Babagana Umara Zulum (Governor of Borno State)
Prof Babagana Umara Zulum is a well-known professor and political figure in Nigeria and also the serving governor of Borno State under the All-Progressive Congress (APC) political party.
According to Wikipedia, Prof Babagana Zulum assumed office in 2019 and completed and commissioned 77 projects in different sectors including health, education, infrastructure, and so on.
6. Godwin Obaseki (Governor of Edo State)
H.E. Godwin Obaseki has been the governor of Edo state since the 2016 gubernatorial election under the People Democratic Party (PDP).
As a result of his outstanding governance performance, he was re-elected into office for a second tenure.
Some of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s Achievements since the inception of his government 7 years ago (as of 2024).
a). Construction of Schools, Hospitals, and roads in different parts of the state.
b). Introduction of EdoBEST (Edo State Basic Education Sector Technology) project to transform the educational system in Edo state.
c). Invested in training thousands of indigenes in the area of security intelligence to enhance the security network and system within the state.
d). Reformation of the Electricity system in Edo state.
7. Ademola Adeleke (Governor of Osun State)
H.E Ademola Adeleke was announced the winner of the Osun state gubernatorial election in 2022 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Some of Ademola Adeleke’s notable achievements;
a). Construction of 20km Trunk B Road within Osun state.
b). Imole Capital Project: A medical and surgical outreach to rural areas across the Osun state
c). Payment of Osun state workers’ salaries and pension since 2016
d). Provision of electricity transformers to different rural areas across Osun state
e). Construction and maintenance of bridges within the state
8. Chukwuma Charles Soludo (Governor of Anambra State)
The Nigerian Economist, banker, and professor, H.E Chukwuma Charles Soludo is the current governor of Anambra state located in the south-eastern part of Nigeria.
Since he resumed office as the governor of Anambra state, he has made tremendous attempts to make Anambra state a safe state and free from the unknown gunmen attacks that were previously rampant in some areas of Anambra state.
Aside from Improving the security system in Anambra state, governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has been noted as one of the governors in Nigeria who promotes products made in Nigeria.
A typical example is using the Innoson Motor as the official Anambra state government vehicle.
9. Rt. Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru (Governor of Ebonyi State)
Rt. Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru is one of the finest politicians and lawyers in Nigeria.
He is also currently the executive governor of Ebonyi state situated in the south-eastern part of Nigeria.
He resumed office in May 2023 under the All Progressive Congress Party (APC) after successfully winning the Ebonyi state gubernatorial election.
In his first seven months as the governor, these were a few of his achievements;
a). Payment of Gratuity and pension owed to state government workers from 1996 to 2021.
b). Increase in State worker’s salary.
c). Revitalization of Ezillo water treatment plant.
d) Digitalization of state budget and state recruitment system
e). Expansion of quality road infrastructure in rural areas within Ebonyi state.
10. Prince Bassey Otu (Governor of Cross River State)
Some of Prince Bassey Out highlighted achievements include the following;
a). Maintenance and rehabilitation of roads located in Calabar.
b). Development of the state oil palm production status in 13 locations within the state.
c). Executed the Home Stead Farming Project to tackle food hunger within the state.
d). Renovation of Hospitals and schools across Cross River state.
Conclusion
Be rest assured that all projects listed for each governor aren’t audio projects, but are project completely executed or at the finishing phase.
There are a lot more governors doing well in their states that aren’t mentioned in this article but the ones listed are stood out of the crowd by their outstanding performance.