Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of spending Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, dividends meant for states.
Makinde said each state was supposed to get over N250 billion from the NLNG payments.
He spoke on Friday at a stakeholders’ meeting on the 2027 budget held at the International Conference Centre in Ibadan.
The governor said the money was paid into the Federation Account and the figures had been reconciled, but that the Federal Government spent it without sharing it to states.
According to him, Oyo had already lined up projects to invest its share to grow the state’s economy.
Makinde also faulted plans to delay payment until after the 2027 elections, saying the welfare of Nigerians should come before politics.
“They fooled us. The Nigeria LNG paid dividends to the Federal Government, which went straight into the Federation Account, but they spent it.
“So, what do we do? They did the consultancy, reconciled the figures, and each state of the federation was supposed to be paid, but they spent the money alone. The Federal Government spent it alone.
“Each state should receive more than N250 billion but Tinubu cornered it. We were planning towards this, identified projects that we can invest the money in to further expand the economy of Oyo State,” Makinde said.
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