Nigeria’s 36 state governors have rejected allegations that state governments failed to properly account for funds accruing to them following the removal of petrol subsidy.
The position was disclosed after the latest meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, with Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri dismissing suggestions that governors should accept responsibility for alleged non-accountability.
Diri spoke to journalists in Abuja after the governors’ meeting and presented the communiqué issued by the forum.
Asked whether the governors were prepared to accept responsibility for allegations surrounding the management of subsidy-related funds, Diri rejected the claim.
The governors’ position comes amid renewed public debate over what governments at federal, state and local levels have done with the additional resources generated since subsidy removal.
Federation Account allocations have risen significantly since the policy change. A recent report by The PUNCH showed that monthly FAAC distribution reached a record ₦3.007 trillion in July 2026, after ₦2.551 trillion was shared in June.
The increase has strengthened state government finances but has also intensified questions about how the additional resources are being deployed.
Those questions have become particularly prominent because Nigerians continue to experience high living costs despite the substantial increase in government revenues.
The governors’ rejection of responsibility therefore comes at a sensitive point in the national debate over subsidy removal, fiscal transparency and the management of public resources.
The issue is also becoming politically significant ahead of the 2027 elections, with opposition politicians increasingly questioning how the savings from subsidy removal have been utilised.