Govs hit back at Akpabio, deny receiving N1tn lifeline from Nigerian govt

Nigerian Governors have denied receiving N1.08tn to states to address the food crisis in the country, as claimed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, during the inauguration of the renovated central mosque in the Iseyin area of the State on Thursday, said as the Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, he could attest to the fact that state governors did not receive N30bn each as claimed by the Senate President.

Also, officials of Lagos, Zamfara, Benue, Osun, Katsina, and Enugu states told Punch on Thursday that their state governments did not receive N30bn.

State governments had in September 2023 received N2bn each out of the N5bn loan offered to them by the Federal Government as a palliative to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy.

The economic reforms, including the subsidy removal implemented by the Federal Government, had precipitated a cost of living crisis across the country following higher transport costs, food inflation, and the plummeting value of the naira.

Speaking during the plenary on Tuesday, Akpabio said an unconfirmed report indicated that state governors received N30bn each from the Federation Account to ameliorate inflation and the high cost of food in their respective states.

“I must say that unverified report has it that each of the state governments in the last few months has received additional N30bn from Federal Inland Revenue Service outside their normal allocations from the Federation Account to assist them in ameliorating the food situation,” he reportedly said.