Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said the Presidency "sidestepped" in its response to allegations that the Federal Government did not pay N250 billion dividends from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, stressing that it should focus on real issues.
Makinde had claimed that the Federal Government was holding back N250 billion in NLNG's dividends meant for states and local governments until after the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at the 2027 Budget Stakeholders' Consultative Engagement in Ibadan, Makinde said a reconciliation process supported by the Nigeria Governors' Forum, NGF, and the Federal Government showed that states and local governments were being owed from the NLNG dividends.
He said the Federal Government used the money and held off on paying until after the 2027 elections because of political reasons.
But President Bola Tinubu's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, rejected Makinde's stance, stressing that he never made a false claim.
Onanuga said the amount mentioned by Makinde did not match the past dividend payments that NLNG has made into the Federation Account.
Responding, Makinde said his statements were well-founded and explained that he never used numbers without having a reason to back them up.
In a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the governor promised to give more details and asked the presidency to deal with the real issue.
The statement said: "We have read the Presidency's reply to Governor Seyi Makinde's message about the Federal Government not giving NLNG dividends to states and local governments.
"The response sidestepped the central issue: the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), with the support of the Federal Government, hired a consultant to resolve the issue of NLNG dividend payments.
"The exercise found that there is a gap of around N9 trillion because of the states and local governments. The Federal Government accepted the findings. The report is still being held by both the Federal Government and the NGF.
"We believe the Presidency will not refuse to acknowledge its existence. Governor Makinde is the NGF’s incumbent Vice-Chairman. The Presidency said that NLNG has given $21.5 billion in dividends to the Federation Account since it started, which includes $3 billion that was received during the current leadership.
"But it didn't explain how the money was given out. Have the states and local governments received their shares? How much money did they get, and what was the process for figuring out those amounts?
"What happened to the $3 billion that was received during this administration? Governor Makinde speaks in a respectful and proper manner and doesn't say things that aren't true or mention numbers without any proof.
"We are still prepared to give more explanations, and we ask the presidency to focus on the real issue at hand."
Focus on real issues - Makinde replies Presidency over non-payment of NLNG's dividends claim