Nigeria’s political culture often treats a stint in the Senate as the ultimate credential for executive office. Yet the current crop of state governors challenges that assumption. Of Nigeria’s 36 governors, only seven, or about 19 per cent, served as senators before becoming governors. The remaining 29, representing roughly 81 per cent, entered Government House without Senate experience.
This observation, first developed by Julius Mbitomdi, deserves serious national attention. It suggests that legislative service, while valuable, is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for effective state leadership.
The professional backgrounds of the 29 governors without prior Senate experience are strikingly diverse. They include economists, bankers, accountants, lawyers, engineers, academics, clerics, military officers, public administrators, entrepreneurs and former state legislators. Twelve of them, representing about 41 per cent of the non-senator group and one-third of the entire gubernatorial cohort, come from economics, banking or accountancy.
This is not accidental. State governors oversee budgets, procurement, debt, taxation, infrastructure contracts, payrolls and internally generated revenue. A governor who understands financial statements, credit risk, public-sector economics and expenditure discipline may be better prepared for the daily demands of governance than one whose experience has been largely legislative.
Examples illustrate this point. Alex Otti of Abia State is an economist and former banker, while Charles Soludo of Anambra State is an economist and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has a background in banking and public-sector administration, while Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State spent years in the banking sector, including serving as an executive director at First Bank of Nigeria.
Lawal’s administration has reportedly emphasised revenue mobilisation, debt reduction and project delivery without commercial borrowing, an approach that may draw on his financial-sector experience.
Other governors bring different but equally relevant expertise. Babagana Zulum of Borno State is a professor, while Hyacinth Alia of Benue State is a Catholic priest. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State are engineers. Peter Mbah of Enugu State and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State are lawyers, while Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State and Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State built their experience in state legislatures.
The breadth of this cohort demonstrates that there is no single correct route to Government House.
Why Senate Experience Is Overrated
The Senate plays an important role in Nigeria’s democracy. It provides lawmakers with experience in national policymaking, legislation, oversight and coalition-building. However, these skills do not automatically translate into the ability to run a state effectively.
A governor is not primarily a legislator. Rather, a governor is the chief executive of a subnational government, responsible for policy implementation, personnel management, security coordination, infrastructure development, education, healthcare, revenue generation and fiscal management.
Nigeria’s recurring governance failures, including abandoned projects, bloated recurrent expenditure, weak revenue collection, unpaid salaries, poor procurement practices and unsustainable debt, have less to do with whether a governor once occupied a seat in the Red Chamber than with institutional capacity, transparency and effective execution.
A former senator may understand budget appropriation better than many other public officials, but a governor must ensure that the budget translates into tangible results.
It would be equally misguided, however, to romanticise technocratic backgrounds. Being a banker, accountant or economist does not automatically guarantee honesty, vision or administrative competence. Financial expertise can improve budget discipline, but it cannot substitute for political legitimacy, empathy, an effective security strategy or the ability to build strong institutions.
Governance requires a combination of competence, character and accountability.
What Nigerians Should Demand
The real lesson is not that Nigeria needs more bankers in politics. Rather, voters should scrutinise candidates’ preparedness for public office more rigorously.
Before electing a governor, citizens should ask practical questions:
– Can the candidate read, scrutinise and defend a state budget?
– What is the candidate’s record in managing people, institutions, projects or public funds?
– Does the candidate have a credible plan for internally generated revenue, debt management and capital projects?
– Has the candidate demonstrated integrity in procurement, contract awards and appointments?
– Can the candidate work effectively with legislators, civil servants, traditional institutions, security agencies and citizens?
– Is the candidate willing to publish budgets, contracts, audit reports and performance data?
A candidate’s previous job title matters less than demonstrated competence, sound judgement and accountability. Nigeria must move away from personality-driven politics and the symbolic value attached to credentials towards measurable governance outcomes.
Recommendations
Political parties should adopt stronger screening standards that assess candidates’ knowledge of public finance, procurement, service delivery and crisis management.
Independent civil society organisations should publish governor scorecards covering budget implementation, debt sustainability, school and hospital performance, road construction, salary payments and transparency.
State assemblies must stop acting as rubber stamps and instead exercise meaningful legislative oversight over the executive arm of government.
Most importantly, voters should reward results: transparent public accounts, functioning schools, better-equipped hospitals, safer communities, job creation and credible infrastructure, rather than familiar political titles or impressive résumés.
Nigeria does not need governors who merely look experienced. It needs governors who can govern.
The current crop of governors demonstrates that the path to effective leadership can run through the boardroom, classroom, hospital, engineering firm, state assembly or parish, provided competence, integrity and accountability remain non-negotiable.
Cliff Stanley is a political scientist and public theologian writing from Jos, ECWA Theological Seminary (JETS).
Email: Cliffstanley3@gmail.com
Phone: 07032826319