Makinde accuses FG of taxing poverty, withholding N250bn NLNG dividend per state
- Oyo governor Seyi Makinde told a South-South town hall in Uyo that the Federal Government is taxing poverty rather than wealth.
- He insisted the FG has withheld about N250bn in NLNG dividends due to each state and is spending the money alone.
- Makinde, the APM presidential candidate, also challenged the government to publish its petroleum pricing template.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has accused the Federal Government of taxing poverty instead of wealth, and of holding back about ₦250bn in Nigeria LNG (NLNG) dividends due to each state.
Makinde, who is also the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), spoke on Tuesday at a South-South town hall meeting in Uyo, organised by his campaign organisation.
He said the National Assembly recently passed a tax law that does not support productivity, and pointed to comments by Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory, on the matter.
"You are supposed to tax wealth. You are not supposed to tax poverty," Makinde said, adding that his own record in Oyo showed revenue could rise without raising taxes on residents.
The NLNG dividend claim
Makinde said he stood by his claim that the Federal Government has withheld almost ₦250bn due to each state from NLNG dividend payments. He said he had been told to be careful and not to say things that are not true.
He said the money is not a one-off payment, but has built up over the years, including under the current administration, and that the dividends paid into the Federation Account have been spent by the Federal Government alone.
Under the Constitution, he argued, anything paid into the Federation Account should be shared among the Federal Government, states and local governments. He asked the government to publish the amounts meant for states and councils.
Fuel prices and 'mega' projects
Makinde also criticised what he called a preference for grand projects over policies that touch ordinary Nigerians. He said the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and the naira-for-crude arrangement had not brought down transport costs for millions of people.
On the government's plan to manage petroleum prices, he challenged it to release its pricing template so Nigerians can see the real figures.
"Give us the pricing template," he said, arguing that Nigerians can then show how to make the system work for ordinary people.
What happens next
The claim over NLNG dividends is likely to stay in the campaign debate unless the Federal Government publishes the figures Makinde is asking for. For now, the allegation remains unproven.
