By Chiburoma Glory Nwabueze
The Federal Government of Nigeria has allegedly paid over 477 billion naira to Niger Delta states on refund of 13% derivation from the Excess Crude Account without deducting derivation from 2004 to 2019. This payment and some other refund was done in instalments between last year and this year.
Last week, the Rivers state governor Chief. Barr. Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike in his speech during the commissioning of Nabo-Graham Law School thanked the president for making the refunds owed the state by the federal government. The speech has since gone viral and sparked conversation about accountability with some demanding to know what each governor of the nine Niger Delta states got and what they did with the funds.
A breakdown of the payment showed that Rivers state allegedly got a total of N103,643,328,596.48 in eight instalments on refund on withdrawal from the ECA without deducting derivation from 2004 to 2019.
The state also got another N12,816,431,590.98 of 13% derivation fund on deduction made by NNPC without payment to oil-producing state from 1999 to Dec 2021.
The Rivers state also received from the federal government over 2 billion naira 13% derivation exchange rate differential on withdrawal from ECA. Another 4.7 billion naira on refund to the state on withdrawals for subsidy and Sure-P from 2009 to 2015. The twenty-three local government councils in Rivers state got a cumulative sum of N3.5 billion on refund to local governments on withdrawal for subsidy and sure-P.
The PDP Vice Presidential candidate in the forthcoming general elections and governor of Delta state, Sen. Ifeanyi Okonwa got the second highest amount in the refunds.
The Delta state government has allegedly received from the federal government 110,174,076,461.68 billion naira as refund of 13% derivation on withdrawal from the ECA without deducting derivation from 2004 to 2019.
He also got 14,860,206,721.17 billion naira on 13% derivation fund on deduction made by the NNPC without payment to oil producing state from 1999 to Dec 2021.
Gov. Okonwa also received over 2.1 billion naira as a refund on exchange rate differential withdrawal from the ECA. 4.7 billion as a refund to state on withdrawal for subsidy and Sure-P. Delta state LGAs got over 3.5 billion.
Abia, Imo, Edo, Cross Rivers got N4,816,622,167.12, N5,593,295,105.68, N11,329,351,575.16 and 1,317523,410.52 respectively as refund of 13% derivation on withdrawal from the ECA without deducting derivation from 2004 to 2019. While Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Ondo states received N128,592,811,864.64, N92,252,073,318.72 and N19,493,721,961.92 respectively.
On refund made on deduction by NNPC without payment to oil producing states, Abia, Imo, Edo and Cross Rivers states received N1,123,184,860.26, N2,967,511,421.76, N2,299,843,818.19 and N432,267,937.05 respectively. While Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Ondo States got N15,051,818,006.40, N11,628,876,907.81 and N3,704,983,643.46 respectively.
Like Rivers and Delta states, the other seven Niger Delta states also got over 4.7 billion naira each as refund to states on withdrawals for subsidy and Sure-P and the local governments in each state cumulatively received over 3. 5 billion naira.
While Abia, Imo, Edo and Cross Rivers states received over 93 million naira, N1 billion, N218 million and N25 million as refunds on Exchange rate differential on withdrawals from ECA. Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Ondo got N2.4 billion, N1.7 billion and 376 million naira respectively.
