Oil-Producing States Got N625.43bn 13% Derivation, Subsidy, SURE-P Refunds ―Presidency

•Says N1.1 trn yet to be repaid •Delta confirms receiving highest refund.

THE presidency on Friday announced that nine oil-producing states received a total of N625.43 billion 13 per cent oil derivation, subsidy and SURE-P refunds from the Federation Account in the last two years.

This is as it said President Muhammadu Buhari had insisted that states being owed must be paid, irrespective of political affiliation.

A statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, listed the states that received the refunds dating from 1999 to 2021 to include Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers.

The statement cited data obtained from the Federation Account Department, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, which it said showed that a total of N477.2 billion was released to the nine states as refund of the 13 per cent derivation fund on withdrawal from Excess Crude Account (ECA) without deducting derivation from 2004 to 2019, leaving an outstanding balance of N287.04 billion.

It said the states also got N64.8 billion as refund of the 13 per cent derivation fund on deductions made by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) without payment of derivation to oilproducing states from 1999 to December.

Furthermore, the presidency disclosed that the benefitting states still have an outstanding balance of N860.59 billion windfall from the refunds, which it said was approved by President Buhari.

It added: “According to the figures, under the 13 per cent derivation fund on withdrawal from ECA without deducting derivation from 2004 to 2019, Abia State received N4.8 billion with outstanding sum of N2.8 billion, Akwa-Ibom received N128 billion with outstanding sum of N77 billion, Bayelsa with N92.2bn, leaving an outstanding of N55 billion.

“Cross River got a refund N1.3 billion with a balance N792 million, Delta State received N110 billion, leaving a balance of N66.2 billion, Edo State received N11.3 billion, with a balance of N6.8 billion, Imo State, N5.5 billion, with an outstanding sum of N3.3 billion, Ondo State, N19.4 billion with an outstanding sum of N11.7 billion while Rivers State was paid 103.6 billion, with an outstanding balance of N62.3 billion.

“The states were paid in eight installments between October 2, 2021 and January 11, 2022, while the ninth to twelfth installments are still outstanding.

“On the 13 per cent derivation fund on deductions made by NNPC without payment of derivation, the nine oil producing States were paid in three installments this year, with the remaining 17 installments outstanding.

“Under this category, Abia State received N1.1 billion, Akwa-Ibom, N15 billion, Bayelsa, N11.6 billion, Cross River, N432 million, Delta State, N14.8 billion, Edo State, N2.2 billion, Imo State, N2.9, billion, Ondo State, N3.7 billion, and Rivers State, N12.8 billion.

“Meanwhile, the benefitting states shared N9.2 billion in three installments in April, August and November 2022 as refunds on the 13 per cent derivation exchange rate differential on withdrawal from the ECA.

“The three largest benefitting States were Akwa Ibom (N1.6 billion), Delta State (N1.4 billion) and Rivers State (N1.32 billion).

“Similarly, all the nine states received N4.7 billion each, totalling N42.34 billion as refunds on withdrawals for subsidy and SURE-P from 2009 to 2015. The refund, which is for all the states and local government councils, was paid on 10th November, 2022.

“The Federation Account also paid N3.52 billion each as refund to local government councils on withdrawals for subsidy and SURE-P from 2009 to 2015 on the same date in November.

“President Buhari considers it a matter of honour and decency that debts owed to states or anyone for that matter be repaid, and in time without regards to their partisan political affiliations.

“The president will continue to render equal service to all the states of the federation and an acknowledgment of this by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the others is not out of place.

“The refunds to the oil-producing states will continue.”

Meanwhile, the Delta State government has said that as the leading oil-producing state, it is obvious that it should have the highest refund from the 13 per cent derivation.

The Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilijie, said on Friday that the state is followed by Akwa Ibom and Rivers states in oil production.

He had earlier said that the expected refunds Delta kept bandying across remained N240 billion with respect to the 13 per cent derivation, adding that “out of this, we have received N14.7 billion in three quarterly installments.

“We also accessed N30 billion from the bridging finance. We had attempted to approach the market to discount a figure of N150 billion which is about half of the expected refund.

“We rejigged that process and reduce it to N100 billion. So, we have received N14.7 billion and have also accessed N30 billion from the commercial market.”