News – Page 98 – National Daily Newspaper

INEC firm up global partnerships on AI, cybersecurity ahead of 2027 elections

INEC firm up global partnerships on AI, cybersecurity ahead of 2027 elections

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has deepened the Commission’s engagement with leading global technology and electoral...

Group Rallies Support for PBAT’s Re-election Ahead 2027 Polls

News2 months ago

Group rallies support for PBAT’s re-election ahead 2027 polls

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro the Director General of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu /Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat PBAT/KOH Campaign 2027 in Lagos State, has declared that President Bola...

Troops rescue kidnapped couple after gun battle with bandits in Kaduna

Crime2 months ago

Troops rescue kidnapped couple after gun battle with bandits in Kaduna

Troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP) have rescued a kidnapped couple after engaging their abductors in a gun battle in Sanga Local Government Area...

Datti Baba-Ahmed clarifies controversial remark on 2027 presidential candidates

Latest2 months ago

Datti Baba-Ahmed clarifies controversial remark on 2027 presidential candidates

Former Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has clarified his recent comments about the major contenders for the 2027 presidential election, saying his remarks...

44 Injured as passenger train derails in Northwestern France

Latest2 months ago

44 injured as passenger train derails in Northwestern France

A passenger train carrying nearly 200 people derailed in northwestern France on Friday evening, leaving 44 people injured, including a woman who sustained critical...

Bus driver explains why he returned N400,000 forgotten by passenger

Latest2 months ago

Bus driver explains why he returned N400,000 forgotten by passenger

A commercial bus driver in Abia State, Mr Onyekachi Ikpendu, has returned more than N400,000 left in his vehicle by a passenger, Mrs Nkechi John. Ikpendu...

NCC, CBM seek greater digital investment to empower Nigerians with disabilities

Business2 months ago

NCC, CBM seek greater digital investment to empower Nigerians with disabilities

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Christian Blind Mission (CBM) International Nigeria have called for increased investment in technology, digital skills and infrastructure to...

# Abiodun: Governors, Not Tinubu, Should Account for Fuel Subsidy Gains Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has said state governors, rather than President Bola Tinubu, should explain how the financial gains from the removal of petrol subsidy have been spent. Abiodun made the comment on Thursday at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally held at the Dipo Dina International Stadium in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. The governor argued that the removal of the subsidy had increased funds available to state governments through higher allocations from the Federation Account, making governors better placed to explain how the additional resources had been used. “They said they want to return the subsidy. Are they mad? They were asking our leader to explain what he did with subsidy removal gains,” Abiodun said in Yoruba. “It is we (governors) that should make such explanations because it is we, state governors, that collect the money. “Besides, what have we been using to build roads, schools, provide good housing and incentives for farmers? Isn’t it from subsidy?” ### Subsidy Debate Intensifies Abiodun's comments come amid renewed political arguments over the financial impact and use of funds associated with the removal of petrol subsidy. The Tinubu administration ended the petrol subsidy in May 2023, a decision that significantly altered the distribution of government revenues and increased the amount available for sharing among the federal, state and local governments. On August 19, Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele said the removal of the subsidy had mobilised **N15.8 trillion for the federation between June 2023 and December 2025**. The figure has subsequently featured prominently in the political debate over whether Nigerians have seen sufficient benefits from the policy. Opposition figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have criticised the government's handling of the savings associated with subsidy removal. Atiku has also pledged to restore the subsidy if elected president in 2027, arguing that the Tinubu administration has not adequately accounted for the funds generated by its removal. President Tinubu has rejected the proposal, describing it as evidence of what he called “serious ignorance of governance and economy.” He has also argued that some state governments struggled to pay salaries and pensions before his administration increased the resources available to them. ### Abiodun Defends State Spending Abiodun maintained that state governments have been using the increased allocations to finance development projects. He cited road construction, schools, housing and incentives for farmers as examples of areas where the additional resources had been deployed in Ogun and other states. However, the governor did not provide a detailed breakdown of the amount received by Ogun State or the specific proportion of its allocations attributable to the additional revenue following subsidy removal. The broader debate over the funds has therefore continued to raise questions about how the increased revenues are distributed and spent at the different levels of government. ### Governor Predicts APC Victory in 2027 The Ogun governor also used the APC rally to dismiss the prospects of opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections. He expressed confidence that the ruling party would defeat its political opponents. “Go and tell your people that all of them are not up to one. We will defeat them mercilessly,” he said. The comments come as opposition parties and politicians continue efforts to build a political coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The dispute over subsidy removal is expected to remain a major campaign issue, particularly as political parties debate the cost of living, government revenues and how the additional funds generated since 2023 have been used.

News2 months ago

Governors, not Tinubu, should account for fuel subsidy gains – Abiodun

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has said state governors, rather than President Bola Tinubu, should explain how the financial gains from the removal of petrol...

Romance scam: South Africa hands six Nigerians over to US authorities

Crime2 months ago

Romance scam: South Africa hands six Nigerians over to US authorities

Six Nigerian nationals arrested in South Africa over alleged romance scams targeting more than 100 women in the United States are set to be...

Anambra Police arrest mother over alleged child sexual exploitation

Crime2 months ago

Anambra Police arrest mother over alleged child sexual exploitation

The Nigerian Police have reportedly arrested a woman in Anambra State following allegations that she sexually exploited her seven-year-old daughter and exposed the child...