Peter Obi asks FG to explain details of ₦30bn disbursed to each governor

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, has asked the Federal Government to explain the details of the ₦30 billion palliative funds it disbursed to state governors.

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio recently stated that state governors received ₦30 billion each to address the food crisis and the high cost of living in their states.

Akpabio, who attributed his claim to an ‘unverified report’ said the governors received the funds from the Federal Inland Revenue Service in addition to their normal allocations from the federation account.

Reacting to this, Obi in a series of tweets on Friday, February 23, 2024, advised the FG to make the details of the disbursed funds available to the public in the interest of good governance and accountability.

He said, “Recently, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio announced that a staggering financial support of ₦1.1 trillion, amounting to a sum of ₦30 billion each was doled out to the State Governors to help ameliorate the present hardship in the country.

“While the Federal Government is to be commended for offering such huge support, considering the difficult times people are going through, it is pertinent, for the interest of good governance and transparency, that the details of the disbursement of such support be explained further, so that the public, the masses for whom the support is meant, can follow through and ensure that it is utilized appropriately to the benefit of the people.”

Obi also advised the governors to use the funds judiciously “to ensure that the resources are genuinely and transparently invested in productive ventures to alleviate present hardship” in the country.

He said instead of spending "scarce and borrowed money at immediate problems, and consumption," the governors should come up with a clear plan and invest aggressively in production.

He stressed that Nigeria needs to move from consumption to production by prioritizing and investing in human development.

Meanwhile, contrary to Akpabio’s claim, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has denied receiving ₦30bn for palliative, describing the claim as untrue.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Suleiman Olarenwaju, in Ibadan on Thursday, Makinde said Oyo State did not get such funds.