Top 10 Best Performing Governors In Nigeria (2022)

The 2023 general election is only a few months away, many of the present Governors will be re-contesting for a second term, while others who have used up their tenure will be vying for other political positions such as ministerial appointments or election into the senate. This, however, makes it imperative to do an analysis of the top best performing governors in Nigeria in 2022.

 10 Performing Governors In Nigeria (2022)

It is important to note that this list is compiled based on the achievements and accomplishments of the governors in their state.

Rank	Governor	State	Party
1	Seyi Makinde	Oyo State	People’s Democratic Party
2	Babagana Zulum	Borno State	All Progressive Congress
3	Nasir El-Rufai	Kaduna State	All Progressive Congress
4	Godwin Obaseki	Edo State	People’s Democratic Party
5	David Umahi	Ebonyi State	All Progressive Congress
6	Nyesom Wike	Rivers State	People’s Democratic Party
7	Oluwarotimi Akeredolu	Ondo State	All Progressive Congress
8	Ifeanyi Okowa	Delta State	People’s Democratic Party
9	Babajide Sanwo-Olu	Lagos State	All Progressive Congress
10	Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman	Kwara State	All Progressive Congress

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1. Seyi Makinde

The Executive Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde

The executive governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde takes first place among the best performing governors in Nigeria in 2022. He assumed the governorship Of Oyo State on the 29th of May 2019, developing a Four-year plan for the accelerated development of the State.  It is however with my utmost joy to inform you that the governor has achieved over  75% of the plan.

First of all, Seyi Makinde 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.

The administration 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.

Seyi Makinde commenced several projects in the health sector, and 351 Primary Health Care Facilities in the 351 wards in the state were identified for renovation, equipping and staffing. He also constructed and rehabilitated some roads and bridges to improve and decongest traffic within major cities.

2. 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.

3. Nasir El-Rufai

The Executive Governor Of Kaduna State, Nasir EL-Rufai

Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai takes third place among the best performing governors in Nigeria in 2022, 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.

4. Godwin Obaseki

Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki is one of the best performing governors in Nigeria in 2022. He was first sworn in as governor of the State on 12 November 2016, embarking on several projects with the aim of making an investment hub. Some of the projects include  The Benin River Port Project, The Benin Industrial Park Modular Refinery Project
Technology hubs and Edojobs

Before becoming governor, Obaseki had served as the chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team inaugurated by former Governor Adams Oshiomole in March 2009. He also served as the Chairman of the Tax Assessment Review Committee for Edo State Internal Revenue Service (TARC) and the Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)

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.

Before the advent of the Obaseki administration, Edo State was known for the poor treatment of its workers and its pensioners. Obaseki has however changed the narrative,  making sure that the salary and compensation for state workers and pensioners are regularly paid before the month ends.

5. David Umahi

Ebonyi State governor and presidential aspirant, David Umahi is also one of the best performing Governors in Nigeria in 2022. 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

Despite the past administration’s incompetence in the educational sector, due to lack of funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission. The Umahi administration was able to obtain funds with which it began reconstructing and equipping schools.

One of the best achievements of the administration is its agricultural initiative. The administration poured billions of naira into the sector as soft loans to farmers, targeting expanded rice farming. The plan worked and rice production tripled this year. The government also procured parboiling machines for its three rice mills.  The administration also partnered with the federal government to make the state the nation’s biggest producer of rice.

6. Nyesom Wike

The executive governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike one of the best performing governors in Nigeria in 2022, 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.

In July 2011, he was appointed as the Minister of State for Education by President Goodluck Jonathan and was promoted to Federal Minister of Education in September 2013. 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.

The governor also recorded significant progress in other sectors in the state in the state. For example, the administration recruited over 5,000 youths into the Rivers state civil service towards reducing youth unemployment.  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.

7. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu

The Executive Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu

The executive governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is another controversial figure who joins the list of the best performing governors in Nigeria in 2022. Akeredolu assumed office in 2017 and has since then set the Ondo State on the path of growth and development.

upon assumption of office, 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

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.

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.

The Administration also constructed 2,700 boreholes in rural and urban areas through the “Kamomi Aketi Water Scheme”. 700 blocks of classrooms were also constructed through SUBEB in the 18 LGAs of Ondo State. Like many others on this list, Akeredolu also ensured that salary of workers and pensioners were regularly paid.

8. Ifeanyi Okowa

The executive Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, with numerous projects to his name joins the list of the best performing governors in Nigeria in 2022. 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.

Just like Akeredolu, Okowa is putting in place appropriate legislative frameworks for the State  Public Finance Management system, which include the “The Public Finance Management Bill and the Audit Bill, which are in the final stages of legislation and are expected to solidify the regulatory foundations for sound public finance management in the State.

The administration established the Technical and Vocational Education Board and created the Office of the Chief Job Creation Officer to drive Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Development in the State. Okowa’s government also recently established three new universities; the University of Science and Technology, Ozoro, Dennis Osadebey University, Anwai-Asaba, and University of Delta, Agbor.

In terms of Infrastructure, his administration embarked on a total of 799 road projects comprising 1,577.8 kilometres of roads and 908.8 kilometres 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 Centres 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.

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 best performing Governor in Nigeria in 2022.

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.

His administration also constructed and rehabilitated 301 inner roads in the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). It also commissioned the Oshodi-Abule Egba BRT lane. The Eleko junction to Epe concrete pavement road construction is ongoing.

In the Agricultural sector, through the Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Activation Programme, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has trained and empowered over12,000 women, and thousands of youths in the State.  The State also witnessed a 127% growth in Q1 2021  in revenue inflow.

10. Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman

Concluding the list of the best performing governors in Nigeria 2022 is the executive Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrzaq Abdualraham.  His administration, popularly known as the Otoge administration has been able to attain some milestone achievements in the state.

For example, the Abdulrazaq administration is noted for bringing the Kwara State health sector back to life. Aside from providing the required facilities for existing health centres, Abdulrazaq has embarked on the rehabilitation of abandoned and rotten health facilities in the State.   The administration has also s hired over 300 health care personnel, including doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, pharmacists, and others since its inauguration in 2019

In September 2020, the Governor flagged off the onboarding of 10,000 indigents into the state’s health insurance scheme. 31,000 more indigents have since been enrolled on the scheme while formal sector participants have also keyed into it. Kwara now has a few state-of-the-art ambulances, up from zero when the government came on board.

In the education sector, the administration employed at least 4,701, a process that considered only competence and qualification.  Through the N7 billion grant from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the Otoge administration was also able to finance massive infrastructural projects across 600 schools in the state.

Summary

For the sake of emphasis and optimization here is a recap of the top 10 best performing governors in Nigeria 2022.

• Seyi Makinde of Oyo State
• Babagana Zulum of Borno State
• Nasir El-Rufai of  Kaduna State
• Godwin Obaseki of Edo State
• David Umahi of Ebonyi State
• Nyesom Wike of Rivers State
• Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo Stat
• Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State
•  Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State
• Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman of Kwara State