Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Bagudu has said that states in the country need more money to fund infrastructural development and lift millions of people out of poverty.

He said this while speaking on the sidelines of the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) in Abuja, Bagudu stated that even though people say we’ve over-borrowed as a country, however, more money is needed to enable us to invest in our capacities.

He acknowledged that the limiting factor at the sub-national level is resources.

He said,

“I want to see the minister of finance, budget, and national planning at the world stage telling investors that Nigeria needs $1 trillion to support development.

People say we have over-borrowed, but we need more money, and we need the support urgently to invest in our capacities.

I want to see how the ministry of finance (the minister is here) can go out there and confuse people on how to mobilize much more resources. For me, at the sub-national level, the limiting factor is resources.

When Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, attempted to borrow from the World Bank… it was very frustrating for him to borrow a small amount needed for the state on a development plan. You have to go to the federal government, assembly, all that.”