Oyo State Gov. Seyi Makinde pledged tax breaks for Nigerian businesses if elected president in 2027, putting job creation and the cost of doing business at the center of his campaign.
At an Oct. 20 town hall in Uyo, Makinde, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) candidate, argued that federal tax policy burdens poorer Nigerians. He said Oyo State had increased its internally generated revenue without raising taxes.
His campaign's published RESET agenda aims to ease living and business costs associated with infrastructure, unreliable energy and transport. It also proposes simpler dealings between businesses and government. The plan gives no rates, eligibility rules or cost estimate for the tax breaks Makinde promised.
Makinde said private enterprise must play a greater role in employment because government alone cannot provide enough jobs. He cited the company he said he started at age 29 as an example of businesses creating work.
He pledged to overhaul Nigeria's security system and said militancy in the Niger Delta had declined but remained unresolved. The Guardian reported that his proposal includes involving young people and addressing environmental damage.
On education, his agenda seeks to connect schooling with practical training and employment. Makinde also questioned whether the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and the naira-for-crude arrangement had lowered transport costs. He urged the government to publish its petroleum pricing template.
Makinde returned to a dispute over Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) dividends, alleging that nearly ₦250 billion was due to each state. In an Oct. 18 statement, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, rejected Makinde's allegation that the federal government was withholding the money until after the election. Onanuga argued that a single ₦250 billion payment to each of Nigeria's 36 states would total ₦9 trillion. Makinde said on Oct. 20 that his figure covered several years.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the presidential election for Jan. 16, 2027.
