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 Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity) listed the states that received the refunds dating from 1999 to 2021 including 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 a 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 a refund of the 13 per cent derivation fund on deductions made by NNPC without payment of derivation to Oil Producing 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 Muhammadu 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.
