The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government has halted the October monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) revenue payment to Rivers State, citing a court order as the reason.
The development comes amid an ongoing dispute between Rivers State Governor Simi Fubara and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nyesom Wike.
According to Bawa Mokwa, Spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the decision to stop the payment is in respect of the court order, which bars the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian government from disbursing monthly allocations to the Rivers State government.
The court order was obtained by the factional Rivers State Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule, who had filed an originating summons against the Rivers State Executive, under the leadership of Simi Fubara.
The Amaewhule faction had alleged that the Rivers State Executive was yet to comply with the order of a Federal High Court directing it to re-present the 2024 appropriation bill to the faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Mokwa, who spoke on Friday, emphasised that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) would respect the court order, following due diligence until a contrary order is issued.
The FAAC typically disburses revenue to the three tiers of government, including states, local governments, and the federal government.
He said, “What I got is that 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.
“We are going to follow due diligence as long as there is no contrary order. In case there is a contrary, the status will remain.”
He added, “The process of disbursement of the October 2024 monthly allocation is going.”
