The Delta State Government has declared that it has so far received N14.7 billion in three quarterly installments as refunds of illegal deductions from 13% derivation by the Federal Government.
It therefore debunked reports that it received N142billion as refunds of illegal deductions from 13% derivation by the Federal Government.
The State Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilije, who stated these while briefing journalists in Asaba, the Delta State capital, also refuted claims by former governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that the state government received over N60 billion on refunds for federal roads projects executed by the state.
Tilije specifically said that the Delta State government only received N14.7 billion in three quarterly installments of N4.9 billion each.
The Finance Commissioner explained that the total amount due to the State from the 13 per cent derivation arrears is N240billion, adding that the Federal Government agreed to pay in quarterly installment for a period of five years.
Tilije said that with the agreed amounts settled, some states like Rivers approached commercial banks and discounted and collected theirs in full, stressing that unlike Governor Nyesom Wike, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said he would not want to leave the next administration with a huge debt burden.
According to him; “Senator Okowa resorted to discounting only N150 billion out of the N240 billion expected receivables but later pruned it down to N100 billion.
“So far, we have got N14.7 billion in three quarterly installments and we have also accessed N30 billion out of the N100 billion we applied for as bridging finance,” he said.
Tilije explained that contrary to the impression given by Wike that previous administrations in the country refused to pay the money to the oil-producing states, the discovery of the outstanding funds was made by current commissioners for finance in the Niger Delta states.
In his words; “The present Commissioners for Finance of the nine Niger Delta states looked into the books of the NNPC and discovered that 13 per cent derivation was not deducted from subsidy payments and investments in priority projects by the Corporation.
“We took the matter before the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and the National Economic Council (NEC), and got them to approve the payment in arrears to the affected oil-producing states.
“It is important to state that this was only discovered under the Buhari administration, which he subsequently approved.
“It is not that previous PDP administrations refused to pay. It was never discovered then neither was it brought to their notice,” he said.
