By Samuel Ogidan
Abuja
The verbal battle between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) continued yesterday, as the PDP warned the ruling APC to stop “lying to Nigerians”.
PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said by the end of the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan, NLNG dividend had risen to a cumulative $5.6billion and not a single cent was ever taken from the funds.
The party warned the APC to stop misleading Nigerians, adding: “The truth is that the NLNG had been on a 10-year tax haven until 2014. Within this period, successive governments, right from President Olusegun Obasanjo never shared nor tampered with the cumulative dividends over the years.”
The party added: “Whatever taxes paid from the NLNG go through the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) and recorded as part of the income of the federal government.
“It is imperative to note that by the end of the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan, NLNG dividends had risen to a cumulative $5.6billion and not a single cent was ever taken from the funds.
“Although it is within the rights of the APC administration to spend the funds in any way they may decide, it is however cruel for them to inflict on us all such malicious falsehood while the current Presidency without the benefit of economic advisers and relevant statutory organs of government, unilaterally decided to deplete the funds without thinking of the attendant future investments and financial obligations of Nigeria in the NLNG project.
“The APC must note that there is a limit to propaganda and lies. Now is the time for governance and this government has shown total unpreparedness to face the challenges of governance at the center.”