NGF backs Tinubu’s Executive Order for direct oil revenue remittances into federation account

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), led by Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has thrown its weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s Executive Order 9, hailing it as a vital step toward boosting fiscal transparency and predictability in oil and gas revenue flows.

Signed on February 13, 2026, the order mandates that government entitlements from production-sharing contracts, including royalty oil, tax oil, profit oil and profit gas, should be remitted directly into the Federation Account. This realigns revenue streams with constitutional provisions and clarifies regulatory roles in the petroleum sector, addressing longstanding gaps between gross collections and distributable funds highlighted in recent Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) reports.

In a statement by NGF Director of Media and Strategic Communications, Tanko Abdullahi, the Forum emphasised that opaque remittance pathways have undermined fiscal planning at federal, state and local levels, hampering infrastructure, debt management and public services amid Nigeria’s population surge beyond 220 million.

“The Federation Account is the backbone of Nigeria’s intergovernmental fiscal system,” AbdulRazaq is quoted as saying. “Structural clarity in the remittance of nationally owned resources strengthens fiscal stability across all tiers of government. Predictability improves planning. Planning improves delivery. The Governors’ Forum supports reforms that enhance transparency, reinforce constitutional alignment and strengthen the collective capacity of governments to meet the needs of our growing population.”

As a non-partisan body representing Nigeria’s 36 state governors, the NGF stressed that these reforms bolster fiscal federalism, where oil revenues form the core of distributable national income. States, at the forefront of education, healthcare, security and economic opportunities, stand to gain from more reliable inflows.

The Forum pledged continued collaboration with the Federal Government to ensure the changes drive sustainable growth and better outcomes for Nigerians.