NLNG dividends: Makinde stands by claim, demands accountability from FG

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has stood by his claim that states and local governments are being denied their rightful shares of dividends from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), challenging the Federal Government to explain how the funds have been distributed.

The governor, through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said the Presidency’s response to his earlier remarks failed to address the central issue of an alleged 9 trillion naira shortfall identified during a reconciliation of NLNG dividend payments.

Olanrewaju said the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), with the support of the Federal Government, had engaged a consultant to reconcile the payments.

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According to him, the exercise identified a shortfall of about 9 trillion naira due to states and local governments, adding that the Federal Government accepted the findings.

“The report remains in the custody of both the Federal Government and the NGF. We trust the Presidency will not deny its existence,” the statement said.

Olanrewaju also noted that Makinde is the incumbent Vice-Chairman of the NGF, maintaining that the governor’s position was based on the outcome of the reconciliation exercise.

The statement was a response to the Presidency’s position that NLNG had paid $21.5 billion in dividends into the Federation Account since the company began operations, including $3 billion received under the current administration.

However, the Oyo State Government argued that the figures cited by the Presidency did not explain how the funds were shared among the three tiers of government.

It asked: “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 maintained that the questions remained unanswered, insisting that the focus should be on the actual distribution of the dividends rather than the total amount paid into the Federation Account.

Defending Makinde’s position, Olanrewaju said the governor was careful in his public statements and would not make claims without a factual basis.

“Governor Makinde conducts public discourse with decorum and does not make unfounded claims or quote figures without a basis,” the statement added.

The Oyo State Government said it remained willing to provide further clarification on the matter, while urging the Presidency to address the substance of the allegations and explain the distribution of the NLNG dividend payments.

It maintained that transparency over the funds was necessary to establish whether states and local governments had received their rightful entitlements.