Awka
Anambra State Government on Thursday came out clean on the actual money the state has received through the 13 percent Oil Mineral Derivation Revenue from the Federation’s account.
Anambra State was officially recognised as a petroleum-bearing and Oil-producing State on July 27, 2021 by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission at its 139th Plenary Session held on that date.
However, since June, reports have flooded the social media claiming the present state administration of Prof Chukwuma Soludo has received over 300 billion naira as derivation revenue.
The figures peddled partly by cronies of former Anambra Governor, Willie Obiano, as part of strategies to launder the image of the former administration, was said to have dropped into the state account.
But in a statement titled “Setting the Record Straight On The 13% Oil Mineral Derivation Revenue Received By Anambra State” issued by the State Commissioner for Finance, Ifeatu Onejeme described the reports as misleading and false.
“The attention of Anambra State Government has been drawn by well-meaning Anambrarians and fellow Nigerians to several false and misleading stories circulating on some social and online media platforms about the 13% Oil Mineral Derivation Revenue received by Anambra State.
“This Press Release is deemed necessary in the public interest, in the spirit of full disclosure and in line with our principle of transparency, to address the deliberate misinformation and provide Anambra people and the general public with the correct state of affairs.
“The proviso to Section 162 subsection (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that the principle of derivation shall be constantly reflected in any approved formula determined by the National Assembly for revenue allocation from the Federation account and such derivation shall not be less than thirteen per cent of the revenue accruing to the Federation directly from any natural resources.
“Following a decade of hard work by industry experts from Anambra State in collaboration with past administrations, Anambra State was officially recognised as a petroleum-bearing and Oil-producing State on July 27, 2021.
“The current administration of Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, took up the mantle from there with massive follow up and collaborative initiatives with relevant Federal Government Agencies to achieve the eventual implementation of the decision,” he said.
Onejeme revealed that the State officially started receiving mineral derivation revenue from the Federation’s Account in the month of July 2022 with the first net receipt of N268,232,939.16 (Two Hundred and Sixty-Eight Million, Two Hundred and Thirty-Two Thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty-Nine Naira and Sixteen Kobo only).
He urged people of the state and the general public to disregard any other information about the amount of mineral derivation revenue received by Anambra State circulating in the social media, online media or any other media whatsoever and consider such information as fake news.
