Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the handling of presidential powers during Tinubu’s recent absence from Nigeria, accusing the president of failing to transfer authority to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Makinde spoke on Friday while addressing civil servants at the Government House in Agodi, Ibadan, after returning from his annual leave. His remarks came amid renewed debate over the constitutional procedure for transferring presidential functions when the president is away.
Tinubu left Abuja on August 30 for a three week annual leave that took him first to London and later to Paris. The Presidency described the trip as a working vacation. At the same time, Shettima was outside Nigeria for official duties, including representing the president at an African Union summit in Luanda.
Makinde said the president should have formally handed presidential responsibilities to the vice president while away. He argued that Nigeria needs a clear arrangement for continuity whenever the head of government is unavailable.
The governor compared Tinubu’s situation with his own recent absence from Oyo State. During Makinde’s annual leave, Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal served as acting governor and handled the affairs of the state. Makinde said his administration continued to function during his absence and argued that the same principle should apply at the federal level.
Section 145 of Nigeria’s Constitution provides for the vice president to discharge the functions of the president as acting president when the president transmits a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives stating that he is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to perform his duties.
Makinde said the country must always have a team ready to take responsibility because unexpected events can happen at any time. He also linked the issue to his own ambition to become president, saying he intends to contest the 2027 presidential election under the Allied Peoples Movement.
The governor’s comments have added to an ongoing political debate over how Section 145 should operate when the president travels abroad but continues to perform official duties remotely.
Makinde Calls Nigeria Economy a Voodoo Economy
Makinde also used the Ibadan meeting to attack the state of the Nigerian economy, arguing that higher wages have not translated into greater purchasing power for workers.
He compared the former N18,000 minimum wage under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan with the current national minimum wage of N70,000. Makinde argued that workers could buy more with the older wage because prices were lower at the time.
Nigeria’s national minimum wage increased from N18,000 to N30,000 in 2019 and was later raised to N70,000 by the Tinubu administration in 2024. Oyo State has since adopted an N80,000 minimum wage for its workers.
Makinde described the present economic situation as a voodoo economy and pointed to the rising cost of government salaries in Oyo State.
He said the state’s monthly salary bill had increased from about N4.5 billion when he took office to about N18 billion, while allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee had also increased.
The governor said workers remained under pressure from rising living costs following the removal of the petrol subsidy and urged labour leaders to work with government on how to manage limited resources.
Makinde also announced further support for Oyo workers. His administration approved another three month extension of the wage award and said the subsidised transport scheme for workers would continue. Radio Nigeria reported that the N25,000 wage award and N10,000 transport support would continue until December.
Makinde returned to office after about a month away on annual leave, during which Bayo Lawal served as acting governor. His return was followed by renewed attention to workers’ welfare, the cost of living and the political dispute over the transfer of presidential powers.
