NLNG: Publish The Receipts, Stop Personal Attacks – Makinde Campaign Replies Presidency

The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organization (MDPCO) has refuted claims by the presidency that the submission of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate and Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, on the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Dividend (NLNG) dividend is false.

The campaign organization also challenged the presidency to publish the details of payments instead of trying to divert attention from the main issues.

MDPCO further accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of resorting to distortions, lies and propaganda instead of responding to the issues raised by Makinde.

Naija News recalls that the presidency had, on Sunday, denied claims by Governor Makinde that the Tinubu government is intentionally delaying the release of Nigeria LNG (NLNG) dividend funds due to states until after the 2027 elections.

However, in a swift response, the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organization challenged the Tinubu government to give Nigerians a clear response by publishing the relevant NLNG dividend receipts, Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) decisions and official communications establishing the amounts received, the sums approved for distribution and the timing of the proposed payments to states.

“The attention of the Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organization (MDPCO) has been drawn to the lame attempt by the Tinubu Presidency to evade the core issues raised by the Presidential Candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) and Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde that the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Dividend accruable to states is being withheld by the Tinubu-led Federal Government.

“Instead of coming clean on why the fund is withheld, the Tinubu Presidency in its characteristic resort to lies, falsehood, distortions and propaganda left the issue to play around with unsupported figures in the bid to hoodwink Nigerians and divert public attention from this constitutional violation and assault on the states

“If the Tinubu Presidency claims that Engr Makinde is wrong in his assertion that N250 billion NLNG dividend meant for states is being withheld, we challenge President Tinubu to directly tell Nigerians if the said dividends have been paid to the states rather than resorting to personal attacks on the APM Presidential candidate.

“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. Governor Makinde’s presidential ambition does not in any way deny him that right, nor does it exempt the Federal Government from legitimate scrutiny.

“Moreover, and importantly so, does the Presidency has any constitutional powers to withhold any funds accruing to the states in a Federation?

“We therefore challenge the Presidency to publish the relevant NLNG dividend receipts, Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) decisions and official communications establishing the amounts received, the sums approved for distribution and the timing of the proposed payments to states.

“Nigerians deserve clear answers to three fundamental questions of how much the NLNG pay in dividends during the period under discussion and the amount credited to the Federation Account. They need to know how much was approved for distribution to the states.

“Invoking NLNG’s cumulative dividend payments in the last 25 years does not answer these questions. Historical totals cannot, by themselves, establish the amount received during a specific period and the sum available for distribution. It does not answer whether a particular payment was proposed, approved, received, delayed or withheld. Those questions can only be settled by the relevant financial records.

“If the Presidency’s argument is that allocating ₦250 billion to each of the 36 states would amount to ₦9 trillion, a sum NLNG has never paid as a single dividend as it alleged, that calculation does not resolve the matter. The question is not whether ₦9 trillion was ever paid in a single transaction, but the amount that is actually under discussion as can be established by the official records,” the statement read.

Recall that Makinde had alleged that the NLNG funds would not be released until after the 2027 elections. He further claimed that the federal government had spent the money.

The Governor made the allegation while speaking on Friday at the 2027 Budget Stakeholders’ Consultative Engagement held at the Olola Ogunlana Hall, International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.