RISING STATUTORY REVENUES: NEITI CALLS FOR CLOSE MONITORING OF SPENDING

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The Executive Secretary of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, has urged the citizens and civil society organizations, particularly those involved in revenue and expenditure monitoring, to show interest and strengthen their capacity in budget tracking and monitoring of allocations and disbursements to all tiers of government.

He spoke at the backdrop of the steady rise in the size of revenue coming to the various tiers of government especially the states and local governments which are hardly monitored by the citizens and stakeholders.

Meanwhile the NEITI has released its second quarter 2024, Q2’24, revenue distribution report indicating further rise in the revenues accruing to the various governments.

Orji stated: “The Quarterly Review aims to highlight the sources of funds into the Federation Account and the factors affecting the growth or decline in revenues and distributions over time.

“The ultimate goal of this disclosure is to enhance knowledge, increase awareness, and promote public accountability in the management of public finances.”

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The NEITI reported that the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, disbursed N3.473 trillion to the three tiers of government in the second quarter of 2024, Q2’24, reflecting an increase of N46.77 billion (1.42%) over the first quarter of 2024, Q1’24.

The report showed the Federal Government, FG, received N1.1 trillion, representing 33.35% of the total allocation.

The 36 states received N1.337 trillion (40.47%), while the 774 local government councils shared N864.98 billion (26.18%).

Additionally, nine oil-producing states received N169.26 billion as their derivation share from the mineral revenue.

Compared to the previous quarter, the Federal Government’s allocation decreased by N41.44 billion (3.76%), while state governments saw an increase of N58.13 billion (4.29%), and local government councils experienced a rise of N30.82 billion (3.57%).

The report highlighted an upward trend in revenue allocations in the latter months of 2023 and early 2024. Total monthly disbursements increased from N1.094 trillion in January 2024 to N1.098 trillion in February but then declined slightly to N1.065 trillion in March.

On state-by-state allocations, Delta State received the largest share of allocations in Q2 2024, with a gross allocation of N137.357 billion, including oil derivation. Lagos State followed with N123.282 billion, and Rivers State came in third with N108.104 billion.

At the local government, Alimosho in Lagos State received the highest allocation at N5.721 billion, followed by Ajeromi/Ifelodun (N4.592 billion) and Kosofe (N4.541 billion), all in Lagos State.

The report indicated that nine states benefited from 13% oil derivation revenue, with Delta State leading at 40.153%, followed by Bayelsa (38.112%) and Akwa Ibom (36.117%). Rivers State recorded a derivation ratio of 27.272%, while the other oil-producing states had ratios below 20%.

The report also noted that solid minerals-producing states did not receive derivation revenue in Q2 2024 due to insufficient revenue generation from the sector.

According to the report, Bauchi State recorded the highest debt deductions in Q2 2024 at N6.49 billion, followed by Ogun State. Anambra State had the least deductions at N115.6 million, while Lagos and Nasarawa recorded no debt deductions for the quarter.

The Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, and the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, were identified as the main revenue-generating agencies for the Federation Account.

Their contributions included oil and gas royalties, petroleum profit tax, company income tax, value-added tax, and import & excise duties.