CITIZENS COMPASS –The Federal Government of Nigeria said henceforth, Rivers State will no longer benefit from its monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Bawa Mokwa, spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation made the announcement on Friday.
According to Mokwa, the action follows a court order related to the political situation in Rivers State. He also clarified that, while no state was yet to receive its FAAC revenue for October 2024, the federal government would comply with the court’s directive regarding Rivers State.
He said, “The October 2024 FAAC has not been distributed yet. However, the Federal Government will obey the court order on the matter of Rivers State allocation,” Mokwa said.
The announcement came amid a dispute between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of Federal Capital Territory. A court ruling had instructed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the federal government to halt payments to Rivers State. The court also directed that Governor Fubara must submit the state’s budget to a lawfully recognized House of Assembly before any funds could be released.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in her ruling at the Abuja Federal High Court, further ordered that the CBN, Accountant-General of the Federation, Zenith Bank, and Access Bank should deny Fubara access to funds from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday, urged the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja to set-aside the judgement that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from releasing monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The governor, through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Yusuf Ali, SAN, prayed a three-member panel of the appellate court led by Justice Hamma Barka, to vacate the high court order which he maintained was issued in bad faith.
He urged the appellate court to allow his appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1303/2024, and nullify adverse orders that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court made against the state in the judgement she delivered on October 30.
