(L-R) Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, DG, Debt Management Office, discussing with Dr. Uju Ogubunka, registrar, CIBN at a two day workshop on investment on bonds and securities in Lagos.

MANY state governments may become poorer or record  more serious  economic down-turn in the next four years following  the  number of  state governors  that are likely to return for a second-term in office, a development  which analysts  say had in the past lowered the commitment of state governors in driving serious development programmes.
In Nigeria, many second term  governors have records of  poor performance as evidenced  since 2003.
They see the period as time to appropriate stupendous wealth from the public till. Most of the governors who demonstrated  serious commitment  to governance  when  they assumed office in 1999 relaxed  after 2003  when  they were returned for  a second-term. This trend has continued to hold sway since then as those other governors whose second term will be ending this month have been identified as having done next to nothing since the last four years.
Our investigations reveal that, by going to the polls on Tuesday to vote the 21 returning governors, the states may have indirectly mortgaged their chances of development on the alter of party sympathy or political affiliation. Only a few state governors have programmes that have a commitment for continuity whose directions and focus cannot be subverted by mere political interests. Lagos and Enugu States are some of those few states.
The  21 governors seeking re-election  include:  Theodore Orji   of Abia State, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom,  Isa Yuguda  of Bauchi State, Gabriel Suswam  of Benue State,  Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan  of Delta State,  Martin Elechi  of  Ebony State  and Sullivan Chime of Enugu State.
Others are governors  Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State, Sule Lamido  of Jigawa State,  Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa  of Kaduna State,  Ibrahim Shema  of  Katsina State, Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari  of Kebbi  State, Aliyu Doma  of Nasarawa State   and Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu  of Niger State, Christopher Alao-Akala of Oyo State,   Jonah Jang of Plateau State , Rotimi Amaechi  of  Rivers State,  Danbaba Suntai  of Taraba State, Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State   and   Mahmud Shinkafi  of  Zamfara State  as well as Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State.
The five governors   who  are leaving  office after  May  29  are  Ali Modu Sheriff  of Borno State, Mohammed Danjuma Goje of  Gombe State, Ibrahim Shekarau of  Kano State,  Bukola Saraki  of Kwara State  and Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State. These  governors  have  completed two-terms (eight years) as required by the 1999 constitution as amended. New  governors are expected to emerge from these states  from May 29. The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had affirmed the judgment of a Federal High Court which barred the Independent National Electoral Commission from holding the governorship election in five states because the tenure of the governors had not yet come to an end. The affected governors are  Ibrahim Idris (Kogi), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Liyel Imoke (Cross Rivers) and Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa).
Further investigations reveal that governors have been known to have done so well in their first term of four years when compared with their second term report cards. Examples of such poor stewardship can be deduced from tenures of past governors like Achike Udenwa of Imo State, Gbenga Daniel of Ogun state, Orji Kalu of Abia State, Chimaraoke Nnamani of Enugu State, Ibori of Delta state and Olusola Saraki among others. There are strong evidences of corruption and poor governance usually in the last lap of the second term based on the fact that the governors would no longer be seeking re-election and were no longer ready to please any one.