Business Day (Nigeria)

These 5 states were FAAC’S biggest recipients in 2020

- IHEANYI NWACHUKWU

Nigeria’s Niger Delta States – Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, and Lagos State were the biggest beneficiar­ies of N2.30 trillion disbursed to states and FCT Abuja in 2020 by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

Cumulative­ly, these five states received in excess of N706.65 billion or 28.4 percent of the net FAAC disburseme­nt in 2020, according to recent data at the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Office of the Accountant-general of the Federation.

The FAAC disbursed net N2.49 trillion to the Federal Government in 2020, while states received a total of N2.30 trillion within the period under review. Gbetiokun Derivation and Suko Derivation accounted for

N1.03 billion and N994.94 million respective­ly.

Delta State led the league of FAAC’S biggest recipients accounting for N186.828 billion in 2020. Last year, Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State governor, assented to the state’s 2021 appropriat­ion bill which shows recurrent expenditur­e of N173 billion and capital expenditur­e of N210 billion.

Other states that got large chunk of allocation from FAAC are: Akwa Ibom (N146.265 billion), Rivers (N141.187 billion), Bayelsa (N116.401 billion), and Lagos N115.932 billion.

Meanwhile, Osun State received the least (N30.627 billion). Adegboyega Oyetola, Osun State governor on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 signed into law the 2021 appropriat­ion bill tagged “Budget of Providence” worth N109 billion. About N59.2 billion (54 percent) of the appropriat­ion bill goes to capital expenditur­e, while N50.6 billion (46 percent) is budgeted for recurrent expenditur­e and creative income strategies.

Other states at the lower radar of the FAAC allocation are Cross River ( N32.892 billion) and Plateau State (N35.644billion). Cross River faces challenges meeting up with its recurrent expenditur­e. For instance, last month, no fewer than 30 Cross River State magistrate­s protested against nonpayment of their 24-month salaries.

The months with the highest net allocation were January and August with N243.45 billion and N232.34 billion respective­ly while the least amount disbursed to the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2020 were in December and November with N160.59 billion and N176.29 billion respective­ly.

Businessda­y further check shows that Abia State received N48.369 billion from FAAC in 2020, Adamawa (N47.943 billion), Anambra (N50.916 billion), Bauchi ( N49.144 billion), Benue ( N47.213 billion), Borno ( N60.083 billion), Ebonyi ( N43.963 billion), Edo (N58.405 billion), Ekiti ( N39.522 billion), Enugu ( N49.887 billion), and Gombe (N39.923 billion).

Also in 2020, Imo State got N55.724 billion, Jigawa ( N56.365 billion), Kaduna (N63.126 billion), Kano (N81.265 billion), Katsina ( N61.394 billion), Kebbi ( N51.180 billion), Kogi ( N49.981 billion), Kwara ( N42.095 billion), Nasarawa (N43.104 billion), Niger (N54.567 billion), Ogun ( N37.679 billion), Ondo ( N46.651 billion), Oyo ( N53.664 billion), Sokoto ( N54.118billion), Taraba ( N43.826 billion), Yobe (N49.439 billion), Zamfara (N41.446 billion), and FCT Abuja (N67.064 billion).

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