The latest State Performance Index (PSPI) ranking released by Phillips Consulting has once again raised serious concerns about the direction, priorities and overall performance of the Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa administration in Ondo State. More significantly, it exposed the widening gap between the promises of the administration and the harsh realities confronting the people of Ondo State.
In the latest ranking, several States, including Lagos, Abia, Ogun, Kaduna, Niger and Adamawa, received commendable ratings for governance and development performance. Their impressive showing underscores what is possible when leadership is guided by vision, strategic planning and effective service delivery - areas in which Ondo State appears to be falling behind. While these States continue to record measurable progress and improve the quality of life of their citizens, Ondo State appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
According to Phillips Consulting, the 2025 edition introduced a revised methodology designed to place greater emphasis on measurable outcomes and objective performance indicators. Between 2021 and 2023, Ondo State maintained a relatively stable position in the development ranking of Nigerian states, hovering around the 11th and 12th positions nationally.
But all that is now in the past. Despite the huge increase in Ondo State's monthly share from the Federation Account following the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the State has continued to slide down the ladder of national development rankings, raising troubling questions about how its growing resources are being managed.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that between January and August 2025, Ondo State received a total sum of ₦171.85 billion in FAAC allocations. It is rather pathetic that despite the astronomical increase in the amount of money received by Ondo State, the State continues to drift backwards in critical development indices.
What makes the situation even more troubling is that available fiscal indicators suggest that Ondo State possesses the resources to perform much better. According to the Public Sector Performance Index (PSPI), Ondo State ranks 9th nationally in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) per capita, 8th in IGR-to-FAAC ratio, 11th in IGR per square kilometre, and 14th in capital expenditure per capita. These figures indicate that the State is not entirely lacking in fiscal capacity. Yet, the impact of these resources is scarcely reflected in the daily lives of ordinary citizens.
For the record, between 2021 and 2025, Ondo State maintained a relatively stable position in the upper-middle tier of Nigerian States, ranking around the 11th and 12th positions nationally in the Subnational Human Development Index.
While a State like Abia, which once occupied the 36th position, has risen dramatically to 10th place in the latest ranking, Ondo State, with its enormous human and natural resources, appears stuck in reverse gear.
In the 2025 edition of the Performance Ranking Index conducted by another organisation, PCI, Ondo State did not fare any better. In the overall performance data ranking by PCI, Ondo State was listed in 28th position for 2024.
For 2025, the rating organisation utilised two critical measurement tools, Public Perception Rank and Performance Data Rank. At the end of the exercise, Ondo State ranked 22nd and 30th respectively. In overall performance, it placed 27th.
Of course, this should not surprise anyone. For long, people with discerning minds have cried out over the seeming planlessness and clueless manner in which the Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa administration has governed the State since he took over following the passing of the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
Decisions made by the administration have often appeared devoid of any sure-footed strategy, leaving the State and its people in the unfortunate and sordid backyard of development. In most cases, whenever the governor makes a decision, it is usually one that does not prioritise the critical needs of the people.
Critical sectors that directly impact the well-being of the people continue to receive little or no attention. From security to education and healthcare, the story has largely remained the same. The people and residents of Akure North Local Government Area, in particular, will tell you horror stories of their experiences, some of which have reportedly led to the loss of lives.
The PSPI citizen satisfaction report further exposes the depth of public frustration. Ondo State ranked 33rd nationally in citizens' satisfaction with roads, with only 13 per cent expressing satisfaction. The State ranked 32nd in public education, 32nd in access to clean water, 29th in environmental cleanliness, and 32nd in awareness of government policies and programmes. Even in the assessment of honesty among public servants, Ondo ranked 32nd, with only 25 per cent of citizens expressing satisfaction.
These are not opposition figures. They are independent assessments reflecting how citizens perceive the impact of governance on their daily lives.
Perhaps the most pathetic sector in the state remains the health sector. The 2025 State Performance Index ranking by StatiSense, a leading AI data company specialising in financial report analysis, bank statement evaluation and AI-driven analytics, ranked Ondo State among Nigeria's worst-rated states for public hospital care.
Ondo State ranked 35th out of the 36 States assessed, with the rankings based on the percentage of residents satisfied with the quality of public hospitals in their respective states.
According to StatiSense, a breakdown of various sector reports highlighted the following reality. The miserable percentage of citizens satisfied with public hospital services in Ondo State placed it near the bottom of the national ranking in 35th position. In the General Healthcare System assessment, which measured infrastructure, specialist care capacity and budget allocation, Ondo ranked 17th nationally.
This contradiction is perhaps the most revealing. A State may possess healthcare infrastructure on paper, but if citizens remain dissatisfied with service delivery, then government must ask itself hard questions.
While the State accounts for 824 public and private hospitals and clinics, it remains an indisputable fact that many government hospitals across the State function largely as consulting centres where poor and sick citizens receive prescriptions and are subsequently directed to nearby pharmacies to purchase the prescribed drugs. It is therefore not surprising that millions of citizens and residents in rural communities have resorted to the use of herbs and self-medication. Woe betide anyone faced with a serious medical emergency.
Recently, a non-political organisation, the Ondo Redemption Front, raised an alarm over the worsening state of healthcare delivery in the State. The alarm followed the release of a State Performance Index ranking which placed Ondo State among Nigeria's worst-rated States for public hospital care.
Ondo Redemption Front is not alone in the cry for better and people-oriented programmes from the State government. From Akure to Igbokoda, from Ikare-Akoko to Owo, from Okitipupa to the riverine communities of Ilaje and Ese-Odo, the people are asking Governor Aiyedatiwa for reprieve from the biting hardship imposed on them by what many perceive as the government's lack of a coherent policy direction.
The reality is that governance is not measured by speeches, ceremonies, media appearances or political endorsements. Governance is measured by results. It is measured by the quality of roads people drive on, the schools their children attend, the hospitals they depend upon in times of need, the security they enjoy, and the opportunities available for businesses and young people to thrive.
Today, the available evidence suggests that despite improved revenues and stronger fiscal capacity, Ondo State is failing to maximise its enormous potential and deliver commensurate development outcomes for its people.
The various rankings, citizen satisfaction reports and development indicators all point to one uncomfortable truth, the State is underperforming relative to the resources at its disposal.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa still has time to change the narrative. However, doing so will require more than political rhetoric. It will require vision, strategic planning, prudent management of public resources and an unwavering commitment to policies that directly improve the lives of ordinary citizens - qualities that are evidently lacking in his administration's approach to governance.
The warning signs are already flashing. Independent rankings are sounding the alarm. Citizens are expressing their dissatisfaction. Development indicators are sending a clear message. The question is whether the government is listening. Unfortunately, all indications suggest that it is not.
The tragedy is that this decline is not occurring because Ondo State lacks resources, talent or opportunities. Rather, it is the consequence of a leadership deficit, characterised by a lack of vision, strategic direction and the capacity to translate resources into meaningful development outcomes. Such shortcomings have become increasingly evident in Governor Aiyedatiwa's approach to governance.
History will not remember how much money entered the coffers of Ondo State during this era. It will remember what Governor Aiyedatiwa did with that money. Judging by the current trajectory, that verdict may not be kind to him. And unless urgent corrective action is taken, the judgment of history could prove far harsher than the verdict already being rendered by independent performance rankings and the people of Ondo State themselves.
Ayodeji Ologun is a Public Affairs Analyst and Strategist of the Asiwaju Mandate Group. He writes from Akure
Comments
Post a Comment