The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has urged Nigerians to hold state governors and local government chairmen accountable for the rising funds accruing to them from the federation account, insisting that the benefits of economic reforms must reflect in the lives of ordinary citizens.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the public presentation of Vicious Red Circle, a novel authored by Alex Ugochukwu Oriaku, Yilwatda said while the Federal Government had implemented bold economic reforms such as fuel subsidy removal, governors must justify the substantial allocations they now receive.
According to him, the reforms, though painful, have improved Nigeria’s economic indices beyond global expectations. He noted that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth had exceeded projections by international bodies.
“The World Bank and IMF said we couldn’t grow beyond three per cent GDP per annum, but we are doing 4.23 per cent now,” Yilwatda stated. “They said we wouldn’t produce more than one million barrels of oil per day, but we are doing between 1.7 and 1.8 million barrels. The numbers are changing, but these numbers must reflect in the people’s lives.”
The APC chairman, who lamented that the progress at the federal level had not translated into improved living conditions at the grassroots, accused some governors of neglecting their responsibilities in primary healthcare, education, and other basic services.
“Primary health is at the local government level; secondary health is at the state level. The same applies to education. So, the indices that matter in the lives of our people go beyond the Federal Government,” he said.
Yilwatda disclosed that while governors previously shared about ₦400 billion monthly from the federation account, they now receive over ₦2.2 trillion collectively—yet, many states still lag in development.
“No governor in Nigeria today collects less than three or four times what they used to collect two years ago,” he declared. “They can do more for their people. Nigerians should talk to their governors and local government chairmen. Let them do more.”
He added that as chairman of the ruling party, his priority was to ensure that governance at all levels delivers tangible benefits to Nigerians.
“As a party, we like doing the unthinkable—making changes that may look unreasonable but are designed to improve lives. My dream is to have a party that drives Nigeria in the right direction and gives Nigerians not just optics but real progress,” he said.
At the event, the author, Alex Ugochukwu Oriaku, said his novel Vicious Red Circle was inspired by the human cost of trafficking and exploitation.
“I didn’t write this book just to add to the statistics,” Oriaku explained. “I wrote it to build a bridge of empathy between the abstract horror of a global crisis and the beating heart of one human story. It’s about the girl who could be your daughter’s classmate or the boy who could have been your son’s friend.”
The event drew academics, writers, and political figures, who commended both the author’s humanitarian message and Yilwatda’s call for accountability at the sub-national level.
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Headline Options:
1. Hold Your Governors Accountable, Yilwatda Tells Nigerians
2. APC Chair Faults Governors Over Poor Use of Rising Allocations
3. Yilwatda: Governors Now Get ₦2.2trn Monthly, Yet People Still Suffer
4. Economic Growth Must Reflect on Citizens—APC Boss Warns Governors
5. Yilwatda Challenges State, LG Leaders to Deliver Real Change
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