Here is the list of the top 10 best governors in Nigeria. At least the names that are mentioned here are names of state leaders whose works are evidently praiseworthy by all and sundry. Although the country with all its 36 governors is said to be a cesspit of corruption which may have seemed irredeemable, there are those that are still believed to be fair in their doings. This article has listed some of them; pay attention!
Top 10 Best Governors in Nigeria
Regardless of political parties, our judgement is true. There are governors and there are governors but here are the few acknowledgeable ones whose development plans for each of their states have made them stand out and so have brought them into the list of the top 10 best governors in Nigeria:
1. Sullivan Iheanacho Chime
Sullivan Iheanacho Chime governed Enugu state from 2007 – 2015 under the umbrella of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Sullivan had his secondary education at the College of Immaculate Conception (CIC) Enugu, he later studied Law at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, on graduating in 1980,he went to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos and graduated in 1981.
He is rated as one of the top 10 best governors in Nigeria because he vigorously pursued his 4-point agenda for development which is Physical Infrastructure, Economic Expansion and Employment, Rural Development and Service Delivery. Majority of the roads and infrastructure in Enugu was erected during his tenure as governor. He was called the ‘Silent Achiever’ because he avoided public functions that was set up to celebrate his achievements.
2. David Nweze Umahi
David Umahi became the governor of Ebonyi State on the 29th of may 2015. He attended Ishiagu High School and the Government Secondary School of Afikpo. He bagged a Bsc in Civil Engineering from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology in 1987. He is rated as one of the best performing governors in Nigeria today. He was re-elected as Governor for a 2nd term on the 16th of March, 2019.
Ebonyi State governor and presidential aspirant, David Umahi is also one of the best performing Governors in Nigeria. His administration saw the construction of over seventeen twin flyovers in the state and over 20 roads within the capital city of Abakaliki. He also established the State of the art King David University of Medical Sciences and the best International Airport in Nigeria.
David Umahi empowered the various community and integrated them into the administrative architecture of the state to ensure seamless and timely delivery of democracy dividends to the people at the grassroots. He also ensured the prompt payment of civil servants’ salaries and massive empowerment of the citizens in the state.
3. Nyesom Wike
The executive governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike one of the top 10 best governors in Nigeria, despite his controversial personality. Wike had served the state in various capacities prior to his inauguration as the Governor. He was the Executive Chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers in 1999, a position he held until 2007.
As the governor of Rivers State, Wike carried out some educational reforms in the State, declaring public primary and secondary education free in all parts of the State. He also carried out massive infrastructural development in the state, for example, he immediately kicked off his second tenure, with the construction of three major flyovers simultaneously in Port Harcourt to decongest a seemingly insurmountable traffic situation.
In the health sector, Wike established the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital and has approved the approved contract for the construction of Sir Dr Peter Odili Cancer and Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Treatment Centre. The administration also relaunched the security outfit codenamed C4I, to compliment the “Operation Sting” security platform and Governor Wike has regularly upgraded and supported all the security outfits, with necessary equipment and incentives.
4. Seyi Makinde
First of all, Governor Seyi Makinde, from 2019 to present, is prominent for the consistent and regular payment of salaries of Oyo State workers and pensioners. In terms of education, his administration completed over 300 projects which include the construction of 26 model schools, 87 classrooms and office blocks, the renovation of 132 classrooms, and the installation of 52 boreholes in public schools across the State.
The administration allocated over 20% of the state’s budget to the education sector and is able to reduce the number of out of school children in the state by 20%, provide scholarships to students with special needs and provide adequate pedagogical resources for effective teaching. He also ensured the operation of the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun in the state, drafting 1,500 officials of the corps to the 33 local government areas in the state. They also provided support infrastructure and the necessary security equipment for security operatives in the state.
5. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai
Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai takes third place among the top 10 best governors in Nigeria, as his administration is responsible for setting Kaduna State on the path of sustainable progress and development. Prior to his inauguration as the Governor of Kaduna, El-Rufai had previously served as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Where he singlehandedly transformed and restored the Federal Capital Territory’s original master plan.
El-Rufai’s first achievement as the Governor of Kaduna State is the restoration of the State’s assets that had been appropriated by people s who served in previous administrations. His administration also has attracted $2.8bn of investments into the state which include the Olam hatchery project, the steel plant and iron ore mining complex in Gujeni, Kagarko LGA, the Tomato Jos farm and tomato processing plant in Kangimi, the OCP fertilizer plant and the Dangote-Peugeot vehicle assembly plant
One of El-Rufai’s greatest projects as the governor of Kaduna State is the provision of Zaria waters, a project that has been abandoned for over 30 years. The project is being extended to supply water to neighbouring local governments. In the education sector, El-Rufai built new schools and more classrooms than the previous administrations in the state. His administration has also made education free and compulsory from Primary One to the completion of SS3. They were also able to take thousands of children off the streets and back to schools with the free feeding programme and free books in public primary schools.
6. Godwin Obaseki
Asides from his infrastructural projects, he also embarked on a number of social development initiatives. The state government has proposed to build about 200 Primary Healthcare Centres. He is also pioneering a state-backed Health insurance scheme to provide a robust sector that will attract private investors.
In education, Obaseki launched the Edo Basic Education Transformation (Edo BEST) programme, an initiative to train and equip public school teachers with top-of-the-range skills and expertise for deploying Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in classrooms to improve learning outcomes. There is also a strong emphasis on technical education, which led to the revamping of the Government Science and Technical College (formerly Benin Technical College) to train the workforce in the state.
7. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu
Upon assumption of office in 2017, Akeredolu put in place appropriate legislative frameworks for the Public Finance Management system, which include the Ondo State Public Finance Management Law, Ondo State Fiscal Responsibility Law, Ondo State Public Procurement Law, and the Ondo State Public Audit Law.
On Agriculture, the government reactivated the afforestation projects in Ondo State. 10,000 Hectares of the state afforestation projects are sited at Omotoso in Okitipupa local government. The project is worth N20billion and it has employed over 1,000 youths of Ondo state. Over 200 million Naira and Over 1,000 metric tons of fertilizers were disbursed to farmer’s co-operative societies in the state, under the FADAMA Scheme.
Within the first three years of Akeredolu’s tenure, about 239 kilometres of road have been constructed and rehabilitated. The governor also went on a massive renovation of the various primary health care centres in all the wards of Ondo State, distributed medical equipment and consumables worth Six Million Dollars ($6M) among all the hospitals in Ondo State and recruited over 500 health personnel including 200 medical doctors to ensure the development of the health sector.
8. Babagana Zulum
Borno State governor, Babagan Zulum takes second place among the best performing in Nigeria in 2022. Just like Seyi Makinde, Zulum assumed office on the 29th of May 2019 and immediately swung into action. Despite the insurgency of Boko-Haram ravaging the State, Zulum has been able to attain some unprecedented achievements, ranging from security beef-up to infrastructural and social/ human capital development in the state.
Within his first year in the office, Zulum undertook 375 projects, of which 326 are physical projects with the remaining 49 as capital-intensive programmes and policies. Confronting the security challenges in the state, Zulum purchased and Distributed 300 patrol vehicles to the military and security agencies in the state, he established the security trust fund, created a rapid security team and special protection component for farmers
Regarding the educational sector, Zulum embarked on massive construction, rehabilitation and renovations of hundreds of blocks of classrooms and offices in schools. In his first year in the office, 76 verifiable projects were undertaken across 21 Local Government Areas.
The Borno health sector also recorded a huge transformation under Zulum. The sector benefited from 46 physical projects in 19 LGAs out of which 37 are newly built primary, comprehensive and maternity healthcare centres. The governor also procured several pieces of equipment of world class standard and essential drugs for most of the healthcare centres in the state.
In terms of Infrastructural development, Zulum embarked on massive construction of over 6000 housing units and installed transformers in notably rural communities across the LGAs. He also drilled hundreds of solar powered boreholes, constructed and reconstructed several vocational centres and skills acquisition centres, and constructed 53 municipal buildings in 12 LGAs.
9. Babajide Sanwo-Olu
The executive Governor of Lagos Babajide Sanwo-Olu, despite losing the support of the people due to certain political affiliations and the Lekki Massacre that took place during the EndSars protest, stills emerges as one of the top 10 best governors in Nigeria.
The Lagos governor was one of the few governors who were able to manage the outbreak of Covid 19 in the Country. Despite the huge population in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu was able to lead a formidable and efficient professional team which saw to the effective management of the situation, thereby curtailing what would have been a devastating pandemic in the state.
In terms of infrastructural development, Sanwo has embarked on and completed more than 51 major infrastructural projects in the state such as the Pent Cinema flyover, ramp and road networks, Lagos-Ogun Boundary roads Phase II, Lekki Oniru Traffic Circulation Projects, a network of roads in Ojokoro, Somolu and Ikoyi, among others.
10. Ifeanyi Okowa
The Governor who assumed office in 2015, formulated the Delta State Medium-Term Development Plan (2016-2019) which included policies and programme priorities designed to accelerate infrastructural development. In terms of Infrastructure, his administration embarked on a total of 799 road projects comprising 1,577.8 kilometers of roads and 908.8 kilometers of drainage channels. The administration has reportedly constructed, reconstructed, renovated, and equipped 8,617 classroom blocks and administrative buildings in the State.
In terms of health infrastructure, this administration has renovated and upgraded 209 Primary Healthcare Centers across the State. In February 2016, Delta State became the first state in the country to launch the Universal Health Coverage scheme with the birth of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission. As of today, the scheme has 906,768 enrollees. Providing primary and secondary healthcare services under the scheme are 471 accredited public and private healthcare facilities.
