Governors Salary in Nigeria (2023)

Governors are important figures in society. They hold an important position and their job is to govern a town, state, or region. However, the essence of this informative piece is to unveil the governor’s salary in Nigeria.

As such, the salary of a Nigerian governor per month is 2.22 million Naira. The annual salary of a Nigerian governor is 11,540,896 Naira in a year.

Over time, the salary of Nigerian governors has been a hot topic on the lips of many Nigerians, yet there has not been any tangible answer provided. That is the reason why we took to the task to provide you with answers, revealing to you how much governors in Nigeria earn per month.

The lavish lifestyle of most Nigerian governors has raised the eyebrows of the citizens to be interested to know how much they earn that affords them the possibility to live such a luxurious lifestyle.

Some believe they don’t earn a salary at all but thrive on the wealth of the town, state or region that they govern. Well, that is a speculation that we don’t know how true it is.

But from what we gathered during our findings, governors in Nigeria are paid a salary per month just like every other public servant in the country. If this is the case, how much then do they earn?

Governors’ Salary in Nigeria

Before we unveil the governor’s salary in Nigeria, you need to know that Nigerian governours across the 36 states in the country all earn the same salary.

As such, the salary of a Nigerian governor per month is 2.22 million Naira. The annual salary of a Nigerian governor is 11,540,896 Naira in a year.

The salary is inclusive of allowances such as furniture, health, accommodation, and hazard allowance. Not forgetting the vehicle loan awarded to governors is calculated at 400% of their basic salary.

Another allowance received by governors in Nigeria is the estacode allowance and duty tour allowance. This estacode allowance is paid to governors when they embark on international trips, and it is paid in foreign currency. While the duty tour allowance is paid when they embark on a local trip, paid in Nigerian currency.

In addition, they are entitled to a leave allowance and the amount is 222,370 Naira. Also, once the tenure of a governor is completed (4-years), they are paid 6.67 million Naira as gratuity.

Average Salary

The average salary of the Nigerian governor is currently unknown. The average salary of Nigerian governors is 2.223 million Naira. That is because all the governors in Nigeria are paid the same amount.

The payment structure is designed by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC).

Entry Level Salary

To clarify, there is no entry-level position for the post of governor in Nigeria. The position is designed in such a way that anyone can be elected to occupy the office of governor and govern over a state for a period of 4-years.

However, we can equally state that the entry-level salary is 2.223 million Naira. The reason is that this is the amount paid to a governor right from the start of the job even up to the end of the 4-years tenure.

Senior Level Salary

The position of Governor in Nigeria does not have any cadre. That is because there is only one governor in each of the 36 states across the country. Rather, they have the deputy governor that serves as an assistant.

In other words, the senior-level salary of governors in Nigeria is not different from the average salary and entry-level salary stated above.

Where can they Work?

As earlier mentioned, governors in Nigeria all of whom are elected, serve as the chief executive officers of the 36-states in the country. As such, they are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch.

With that being said, governors are public servants and their office is in the state secretariat from where they discharge their duty and also work alongside other officials in the office.

Types of Jobs available Governor

The governor of a state is saddled with leadership responsibility. Going by the Nigerian constitution, a state governor is delegated with the duty of executing state law, vis-à-vis the responsibility of appointing state executive, diplomatic, regulatory, and judicial officers.

Other types of jobs they do include:

• Serves as head of his state’s executive branch of government.
• Commands the authority of the state affairs
• Security and welfare of the people (citizens)

Roles / Duties of a Governor

Governors play an integral role in the state where they oversee. They carry out functions such as:

• Serve as the state’s chief executive officer and supervise the functions of the executive branch of government
• Endorse legislation to the General Assembly
• Grant amnesties, pardons, and commutations
• Serve as the state’s commander-in-chief of armed forces
• Bills approved by the state house of assembly are reviewed, and the legislation is signed into law; if a bill is rescinded, it is returned to the General Assembly.

How to become a Governor

If you aspire to become a state governor in Nigeria someday, but you don’t know how to go about it. To help you out, we have outlined the criteria for becoming a governor in Nigeria.

The criteria for becoming a Governor of a state in Nigeria are provided in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended in Section 176 and Section 177. The criteria are:

1. Such a person must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth
2. Such a person must be at least 35 years old and above
3. Such a person must be a member of a Political party approved by INEC, and that Political party must have sponsored him as their candidate.
4. Such a person must be educated to at least a Secondary school certificate level or its equivalent.

Additional requirements that will qualify you to contest as an aspirant/candidate in a gubernatorial election include:

1. Not having acquired another country’s citizenship or pledged allegiance to that other country.
2. You must not have held such office by-election for two previous elections. That is to say that you cannot run for a third term, as an officeholder, you can only run for one additional tenure, making your years in an Office a total of Eight (8) years.
3. Be a person of sound mind.
4. Not have been convicted or sentenced for any dishonesty-related offence or found guilty of violating the code of conduct within the ten (10) years preceding the date of the gubernatorial election.
5. Not having been declared bankrupt under Nigerian law.
6. Not be a member of any secret society
7. Not be employed in the public service of the federation
8. Not run in the election with a forged Independent National Electoral Commission certificate (INEC)

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Conclusion

From our discourse, it is evident that governors in Nigeria are among the most paid in Nigeria considering the monthly take home. So, now that you have an idea of how much governors in Nigeria earn, I hope you are satisfied with the answers we have provided and you are better informed now than before.