Word list

Every month, money the country earns — from oil, taxes and other sources — goes into one big national pot. A committee meets to divide that pot three ways: the Federal Government, the 36 states, and the 774 local governments. That meeting is FAAC. What your local government gets each month is decided there.

All the money Nigeria earns as a country goes in here first. Nobody spends from it directly. It is shared out monthly, and only then can government at each level spend its portion.

An allocation is a share, not a payment. It means 'this much has been set aside for you'. It is important to understand that money can be allocated on paper and still not arrive in the local government's bank account — which is exactly what is being disputed in Osun right now.

This is the biggest single piece of what a local government gets. 'Statutory' just means it is required by law. 'Net' means money already owed — like loan repayments — has been taken out before the local government sees it. So this is the amount left after those subtractions.

When you buy goods or services, a small tax is added to the price. That money is collected nationally and then shared out. It is usually the second-largest part of a local government's monthly money, after the statutory allocation.

A small portion of each local government's money is earmarked for environmental damage — gully erosion, flooding, and similar. You will often see it split into two lines: the total share, and the part transferred elsewhere (see NDDC/HYPPADEC). What the local government actually keeps is the 'net' figure.

In some states, half of the ecology money is passed to one of these commissions instead of staying with the local government. Osun local governments are generally not affected, so this line usually shows as nothing for Osun — but it still appears in the table because the same table covers all 774 local governments in the country.

When money is transferred between bank accounts above a certain amount, a small levy is charged. It is collected nationally and shared out like other revenue. It is a small part of a local government's monthly total.

Nigeria earns a lot in dollars. When the naira weakens, those same dollars convert into more naira. That extra is shared out as 'exchange gain'. It is not new work or new production — it is the same money worth more naira. It appears in some months and not others.

Sometimes the sharing committee adds an extra lump sum on top of normal revenue — you will see lines like 'Augmentation of ₦200 Billion'. It is a one-off boost for that month, not a permanent increase. This is why some months look unusually high.

Usually loan repayments or other standing obligations. It is subtracted first, so the local government never sees it. A large deduction is one reason a local government's total can drop in a given month.

Taxes, licences, fees and charges collected within Osun. It matters because it is the part the state controls directly. When independent revenue is low against budget, it means the state collected far less than it planned to.

Money spent on keeping government working: paying staff, running offices, maintaining what already exists. It is spent and gone. It does not build anything new.

This is the part people can see. If capital spending is far below what was budgeted, it usually means projects were delayed, scaled back, or not started. Comparing budgeted against actual capital spending is one of the most useful checks a citizen can make.

What it costs to pay staff. In Osun's case this line matters a great deal right now, because the local governments' withheld money is what normally pays primary school teachers, health workers and local government staff.

Electricity, fuel, travel, stationery, repairs, and similar. It sits between salaries and construction: necessary to operate, but it does not build anything lasting.

What was still in hand when the year started. It is counted as part of the year's available money, which is why total revenue figures can look larger than what actually came in during the year itself.

Governments often revise the budget partway through the year. Later reports then measure performance against the REVISED figure, not the original one. This matters: a government can look like it hit its target simply because the target was lowered. Where a report uses a revised budget, we say so.

Not just this quarter — everything added together since the start of the year. A Q3 report's year-to-date figure covers January through September.

A report published every three months comparing what was planned against what actually happened. It is written by the government about itself, so it is a useful record rather than an independent audit.

Osun has 30. They are responsible for primary schools, primary health centres, local roads, markets and sanitation. They are funded mainly from the monthly national share, which is why an interruption to that money is felt quickly in ordinary life.

Separate from INEC, which runs federal and state elections. OSSIEC organises local government elections and declares the winners. Its February 2025 election is one of the things now in dispute.

The allocation was recorded and published, but the funds did not enter the local governments' bank accounts. This is the situation reported in Osun since March 2025. It is why this site always separates what was allocated from what was received.