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?”
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 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.
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.