The 36 state governors under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) have strongly pushed back against allegations that sub-national governments failed to account for funds received following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
​Speaking on behalf of the forum in the early hours of Thursday, August 27, 2026, at the NGF Secretariat in Abuja, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, dismissed criticism from political stakeholders regarding the transparency of post-subsidy revenues.
​The announcement came shortly after the conclusion of the NGF’s third official meeting of the session, which ran late into Wednesday night under the chairmanship of forum leadership.
​When pressed on calls for sub-national executives to take responsibility for perceived non-accountability in spending subsidy windfalls, Governor Diri rejected the premise outright.
​”That cannot be true. That cannot be true,” Diri stated, though he noted that the forum would “leave that debate for another day” to focus on urgent economic relief measures.
​Rather than focusing on public debates over past allocations, Diri explained that state executives are prioritizing targeted interventions designed to reduce daily living costs. He pointed out that transport costs remain the primary driver of broader commodity and food inflation across Nigeria.
The NGF deliberated on the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, a state-led plan aimed at expanding Compressed Natural Gas fleet conversions to reduce transit fares.
Governor Diri emphasized that lowering transit costs through cheaper alternatives like CNG will produce a positive ripple effect, helping reduce the prices of food items such as yam and garri in local markets.
The forum received a presentation from the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, regarding state involvement in CANEX Weekend 2026 and the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2027 in Lagos. Governors pledged their support to leverage the events to connect local MSMEs with global buyers and investors.
​While the governors expressed confidence in the proposed CNG transit scheme, the forum noted that the financing framework and operational details are undergoing further review before full implementation across all 36 states.
