TWO years after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made the bold decision to remove the fuel subsidy—a policy move hailed for freeing up substantial fiscal space—the question remains:
Where has the money gone?
While the President has significantly increased allocations to state governors, with many states now receiving triple what they used to get, the development outcomes remain disappointingly uneven—especially in Northern Nigeria.
Apart from the visible construction of flyovers and a few roads, can we honestly point to any Northern state where the subsidy windfall has translated into real, measurable improvements in health, education, or youth empowerment?
In the last two years, is there a single state in Northern Nigeria you can confidently say: “Yes, this is where the subsidy money made a transformational difference in people’s lives.”
The High Cost of Neglecting Human Capital.
Let us not be deceived flyovers cannot teach a child to read, cannot provide antenatal care for pregnant women, and certainly cannot equip a young person with the skills to thrive in today’s digital economy.
We must begin to rethink our development priorities. Imagine Arewa in the next 20 years.
No single governor is currently making significant investments to tackle learning poverty—a situation where children are unable to read or write by age 10, which is one of the most critical indicators of a failing education system.
The consequences will be grave: a generation left behind, unable to compete in an increasingly knowledge-driven world.
While our leaders compete to build concrete monuments, they must also compete to build people. We must urge our governors to prioritize human capital development with the same urgency and visibility they give to infrastructure projects. That means:
1. Revamping Primary Healthcare – Making basic health services accessible and functional in every ward.
2. Investing in Quality Education – From teacher training to school infrastructure, and from girl-child education to digital learning tools.
3. Empowering Youth – Through skills development, entrepreneurship, job creation, and targeted livelihood programs.
A Call to Action for Northern Governors
The states of Northern Nigeria are at a critical juncture. The next few years will determine whether we sow the seeds of prosperity—or continue the cycle of poverty and underdevelopment.
It is time our governors stop ruling by concrete and start governing for impact. Human capital is the new oil. If we fail to invest in it today, we will pay for it tomorrow in insecurity, unemployment, and generational stagnation.
Let’s compete to build minds, not just monuments. Let’s use the subsidy windfall to fund futures—not just flyovers.
- Mohammed, PhD is a policy extrapreneur, governance strategist, futurist and founder, System Strategy And Policy Lab (SSPL).