The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) have criticised the Presidency over its response to allegations that the Federal Government is withholding Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) dividends allegedly due to states and local governments.
While Makinde, through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, insisted that the Federal Government had yet to adequately explain the distribution of NLNG dividend proceeds, the MDPCO accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of evading the central issues raised by the governor.
The campaign organisation also challenged the Presidency to publish relevant financial records to establish the amounts received from NLNG, the sums approved for distribution to states and the status of the payments.
The controversy followed the Presidency’s response to Makinde’s claim that about N250 billion in NLNG dividends meant for states had been withheld by the Federal Government.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Presidency urged Nigerians to disregard what it described as unfounded claims, accusing the governor of making falsehood and disinformation the hallmarks of his presidential campaign.
“Under Nigerian law, Governor Makinde is free to pursue his presidential ambition. He should desist from making falsehoods and disinformation the hallmarks of his campaign,” the Presidency said.
However, the Oyo State Government, in a swift reaction, maintained that the Presidency had failed to address the substance of the allegations.
According to the government, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), with the support of the Federal Government, had engaged a consultant to reconcile NLNG dividend payments, an exercise which allegedly identified a shortfall of about N9 trillion due to states and local governments.
The government said the Federal Government had accepted the findings of the reconciliation exercise, adding that the report remained in the custody of both the Federal Government and the NGF.
It expressed confidence that the Presidency would not deny the existence of the report, noting that Makinde is the incumbent Vice-Chairman of the NGF.
“The response sidestepped the central issue: the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), with the Federal Government’s support, engaged a consultant to reconcile NLNG dividend payments.
“The exercise identified a shortfall of about N9 trillion due to states and local governments. The Federal Government accepted the findings,” the statement said.
The Oyo State Government further questioned the Presidency’s reference to NLNG having paid $21.5 billion in dividends into the Federation Account since inception, including $3 billion received under the current administration.
It argued that the cumulative figures did not establish how much had been distributed to the states and local governments or how their respective entitlements were calculated.
“Have states and local governments received their shares? How much did they receive, and how were those amounts calculated? What happened to the $3 billion received under this administration?” the government asked.
Makinde’s administration maintained that the governor’s public statements were based on verifiable information and challenged the Presidency to address the questions surrounding the distribution of the funds.
“Governor Makinde conducts public discourse with decorum and does not make unfounded claims or quote figures without a basis,” the statement added.
The government said it remained willing to provide further clarification while urging the Presidency to respond directly to the issues raised.
In a separate statement dated October 18 and signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Nnanna Ihediwa, the MDPCO also faulted the Presidency’s response, describing it as an attempt to avoid the central questions surrounding the alleged withholding of NLNG dividends.
The organisation said the Presidency should directly address whether the dividends under discussion had been paid to the states rather than focus on personal attacks against Makinde, who is the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
It argued that the governor’s presidential ambition did not deprive him of the right to demand accountability from the Federal Government over public funds.
“The Presidency appears carried away by its own display of imperial grandeur, forgetting that Nigeria remains a democracy in which demanding accountability for public funds is a civic right, not an offence,” the campaign organisation said.
The MDPCO also questioned whether the Federal Government had the constitutional authority to withhold funds accruing to states in the federation.
It challenged the Presidency to publish the relevant NLNG dividend receipts, decisions of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and official communications showing the amounts received, the sums approved for distribution and the expected timing of payments to the states.
The organisation said Nigerians needed clear answers on three key issues: the total NLNG dividends paid during the period under discussion, the amount credited to the Federation Account and the amount approved for distribution to the states.
It maintained that the Presidency’s reference to NLNG’s cumulative dividend payments over the past 25 years did not, on its own, resolve the dispute over the specific amounts allegedly due to states.
According to the campaign organisation, historical totals could not establish how much was received within a particular period, how much was available for distribution or whether payments had been proposed, approved, received, delayed or withheld.
“These questions can only be settled by the relevant financial records,” the statement said.
The MDPCO also disputed what it described as the Presidency’s argument that allocating N250 billion to each of the 36 states would amount to N9 trillion, a figure it said NLNG had never paid as a single dividend.
It argued that the central question was not whether N9 trillion had been paid in a single transaction but what the official records showed about the amounts involved in the dispute.
The organisation further accused the Tinubu administration of running what it called a “voodoo economy,” alleging that official claims about economic performance did not reflect the daily experiences of Nigerians.
It also linked the controversy to the emerging presidential contest, claiming that the administration was uncomfortable with Makinde’s growing political profile and the reception of his Reset Nigeria Agenda.
The MDPCO said it stood by Makinde’s position on the NLNG dividends and insisted that the Presidency should provide documentary evidence to resolve the disagreement.