Mutfwang Accuses Buhari Government of Selling Future Crude, Says Tinubu Is Paying Debt

Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has accused the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari of selling Nigeria’s crude oil in advance, claiming that President Bola Tinubu’s government is still servicing obligations arising from the arrangement. Mutfwang made the allegation on Monday during the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections at the Government House in Jos. The governor blamed the economic difficulties inherited by Tinubu in 2023 partly on decisions taken by the previous administration, arguing that the current government needed time for its economic reforms to produce results. “Part of the problem of the Buhari regime is that they got to a point that they didn’t know what to do, so they sold our future crude. “The crude we are yet to dig from the ground has been sold in advance. And today we are paying that debt. And so we cannot expect things to simply change overnight,” he said. Mutfwang Criticises Previous Fuel Subsidy Arrangement The Plateau governor also criticised the fuel subsidy system operated under the Buhari administration, describing it as a fraudulent arrangement that placed additional pressure on government finances. He alleged that public funds were borrowed to settle subsidy claims supported by fictitious documents. “When the President took over at that time, there was a national fraud that was taking place called fuel subsidy. I say it was a fraud because we were borrowing money to pay people who brought fictitious documents. They never brought any wealth,” Mutfwang said. He further argued that the government could not continue borrowing to meet what he described as questionable subsidy claims. According to him, ending the arrangement was necessary, although the decision came with economic adjustments that Nigerians would have to experience before the benefits became evident. Mutfwang maintained that fuel availability had improved following the removal of the subsidy, even though prices remained high. “Today, by the grace of God, we have solved one side of the equation. Today fuel is available. It may not be cheap, but it is available,” he said. He recalled the fuel scarcity experienced in previous years, when motorists spent long periods queuing at filling stations. Governor Defends Tinubu's Economic Reforms Mutfwang also defended the Tinubu administration's handling of the economy, claiming that the President inherited a difficult financial situation when he assumed office in May 2023. He said Nigeria had struggled to meet its external debt obligations and that some international airlines had suspended operations because they could not repatriate their earnings from the country. The governor further claimed that Nigeria's external reserves had fallen to slightly above $3bn before Tinubu took office but had subsequently risen above $50bn. “Where did President Tinubu meet Nigeria in 2023? He met Nigeria tottering on the brink of collapse; Nigeria that could not service its external debts; Nigeria that would not even allow businesses outside the country to take their proceeds back home,” he said. He added that the country's economic situation required difficult decisions and that the consequences of the reforms could not be reversed immediately. Mutfwang urged Nigerians to consider the circumstances under which the current administration assumed office when assessing its performance. Measures to Cushion Economic Hardship in Plateau The governor also highlighted some interventions introduced by his administration to reduce the impact of economic hardship on residents of Plateau State. He listed the introduction of Tin City Metro buses, the revival of railway services within Jos, a 50 per cent reduction in tuition fees at state-owned tertiary institutions and an increase of about 300 per cent in student allowances. He also commended the Federal Government's Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying students from Plateau studying in tertiary institutions had benefited from the initiative. According to Mutfwang, some beneficiaries receive monthly support of ₦20,000 or ₦40,000. He said the interventions were part of efforts to support residents while the state government continued working towards improving economic conditions. Mutfwang Calls for Support for Tinubu in 2027 The governor used the occasion to canvass support for Tinubu's re-election in the 2027 general elections. He argued that political power should rotate between the North and South, maintaining that the South should be allowed to complete another eight-year period in office after the North's previous eight years. “We must agree that power should rotate between the North and the South. And if the North spends 8 years, which we have nothing to show for, it is only fair that we allow the South to do another 8 years,” he said. Mutfwang expressed confidence that the APC would secure victory in Plateau State, urging party members to concentrate on grassroots mobilisation and communicate the administration's policies to voters. He also called for peaceful campaigns focused on issues rather than political divisions. The event was attended by members of the party's campaign structure, including Plateau APC Chairman Rufus Bature. The Director-General of the Mutfwang/Piyo 2027 Governorship Campaign Council, Joseph Ari, also spoke at the inauguration and disclosed that 115 support groups had expressed support for the campaign. Earlier Dispute Over Buhari-Era Economic Policies Mutfwang's latest comments follow similar criticism he made in March 2024, when he accused the Buhari administration of leaving the country with a weakened economy and alleged that it had sold crude oil that had yet to be extracted. The comments attracted a response from the APC, whose then National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, rejected the governor's interpretation. Ibrahim argued that selling crude oil in advance was an established practice in the international oil business and said such arrangements were not peculiar to the Buhari administration. The latest remarks have therefore renewed the debate over the previous government's oil-related financial arrangements and the economic obligations inherited by the Tinubu administration. However, Mutfwang's latest allegation about advance crude sales was not accompanied by specific transaction details, including the volumes involved, the agreements concerned or the outstanding amounts being repaid. His claims about the previous administration's economic management and the current government's financial position remain attributed statements made during the APC campaign council inauguration.