The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has countered the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, saying that the federal government did not give N30billion to the state government as claimed by the federal lawmaker.
On Wednesday it was reported that Senator Akpabio said that all the 36 state governors in the state received additional N30 billion from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to tackle the food scarcity situation in the country.
The Senate President who hadsaid this during one of the plenary sessions of the federal lawmakers described the several protests held in some major cities in the country against rising hunger and hardship as sponsored by political stakeholders.
He had added that the newly released funds for the state governors are different from their monthly allocation and urged them not to divert the funds for another course different from solving foodstuff scarcity.
But reacting to the Senate President’s claims, Governor Makinde during the unveiling of the Iseyin Central Mosque in the Iseyin area of Oyo State, expressed dismay at what he described as Akpabio’s unsubstantiated remarks.
According to TVC News, Makinde questioned why the Senate President would make such a statement knowing full well that it was an unverified information.
According to him, “it is not feasible for the Federal Inland Revenue Service to issue money to any state”, stressing that “the funds in the federation account are intended for the benefit of Nigerians and not for distribution among the state governments.”
The governor emphasised that it was a critical period for the government to instill confidence in the people rather than contributing to political tension.
Credit: Sahara Reporters
