N250bn NLNG Funds: Makinde Camp Challenges Tinubu Presidency

…Demands Proof Of Payments To 36 States, Dismisses Denial As Diversion

The Makinde-Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation (MDPCO) has challenged the Presidency to publish monetary data displaying whether or not Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) dividends allegedly as a consequence of states have been paid, escalating the dispute over Governor Seyi Makinde’s declare that the Federal Government is withholding the funds.

The marketing campaign organisation, which is projecting Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s presidential bid on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), dismissed the Presidency’s denial as an try to divert consideration from questions surrounding the alleged withholding of the funds.

In an announcement on Sunday by its
Director of Strategic Communications, Richard Ihediwa, the organisation challenged President Bola Tinubu to determine whether or not the dividends in query had been paid to the states, slightly than have interaction in what it described as private assaults towards Makinde.

“If the Tinubu Presidency claims that 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,” the assertion mentioned.

The controversy centres on Makinde’s allegation that N250 billion in NLNG dividends meant for every of the 36 states of the federation is being withheld by the Federal Government.

The MDPCO insisted that the Presidency’s argument about NLNG’s cumulative dividend funds over the previous 25 years didn’t resolve the particular query of how a lot was acquired in the course of the interval below dialogue and what quantity was permitted for distribution to the states.

It demanded the publication of related NLNG dividend receipts, choices of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and official communications detailing the quantities acquired, permitted for distribution and scheduled for fee.

The organisation mentioned Nigerians deserved solutions to 3 questions: how a lot NLNG paid in dividends in the course of the interval in query, how a lot was credited to the Federation Account, and the way a lot was permitted for distribution to the states.

“Historical totals cannot, by themselves, establish the amount received during a specific period and the sum available for distribution,” it argued, including that solely the related monetary data might set up whether or not funds had been delayed or withheld.

Responding to the Presidency’s reported argument that N250 billion for every of the 36 states would quantity to N9 trillion— a sum NLNG had by no means paid as a single dividend—the marketing campaign organisation mentioned the calculation didn’t settle the dispute.

“The question is not whether N9 trillion was ever paid in a single transaction, but the amount that is actually under discussion as can be established by the official records,” it acknowledged.

The organisation additionally questioned whether or not the Federal Government had constitutional authority to withhold funds accruing to the states in a federation, describing calls for for accountability over public funds as a civic proper.

The MDPCO additional accused the Tinubu administration of working what it known as a “voodoo economy”, alleging that official financial figures didn’t replicate the hardship skilled by Nigerians.

It maintained that Makinde had raised official questions on public finance and accused the Presidency of resorting to propaganda slightly than offering documentary proof to settle the dispute.

The marketing campaign organisation additionally linked the controversy to the 2027 presidential race, alleging that the Tinubu camp was unsettled by Makinde’s rising political profile and the reception of his “reset Nigeria” agenda.

The Presidency’s place, as challenged by the MDPCO, and the marketing campaign organisation’s allegations go away the central problem unresolved within the assertion: the exact quantity of NLNG dividends acquired, the sums permitted for distribution and whether or not any funds as a result of states stay excellent.