The Presidency and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, have exchanged words over the alleged withholding of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) dividends meant for states and local governments.
The Presidency, through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday dismissed Makinde’s claim that each state was entitled to N250bn in NLNG dividends, which he alleged would not be paid until after the 2027 general elections.
Onanuga argued that paying N250bn to each of the 36 states would amount to N9tn, requiring a total dividend payout exceeding NLNG’s entire lifetime payments to the Federation. He said the company had paid about $21.5bn in dividends to the Federation over 25 years and urged Nigerians to disregard Makinde’s claim.
However, Makinde, through his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said the Presidency had failed to address the central issue of how the dividends were distributed among the federal, state and local governments.
He maintained that a reconciliation exercise commissioned by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), with the Federal Government’s support, identified an alleged shortfall of about N9tn owed to states and local governments.
Makinde’s aide said the report remained in the custody of both the Federal Government and the NGF, challenging the Presidency to explain how the dividends were shared, how much the states and local governments received, and what happened to the funds collected under the current administration.
Post comments (0)