Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has alleged that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has not remitted oil revenues to the Nigerian government for more than five months......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
He made this statement during an event held at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka, the capital of Anambra State.
A video of the governor’s remarks has been widely shared on social media.
Governor Soludo alleged that the Nigerian government has been depending on remittances from the Nigerian Customs Service and tax revenues to fund monthly allocations to state governments.
Soludo told attendees at the event in Igbo language:
“Nigeria’s oil money has finished. Are you people hearing me?
“Since February, March, April, May and this June that just ended, NNPC has not paid any money into the Federation Account from oil revenue.”
He asserted that the funds distributed as monthly allocations to federal, state, and local governments have been sourced from revenues generated by the customs service, taxes, and other similar streams.
Governor Soludo’s allegation followed shortly after NNPC Ltd acknowledged that it owed an unspecified amount to suppliers of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol.
Olufemi Soneye, the NNPC Ltd spokesperson, had responded to claims that the company was in debt to international oil suppliers to the tune of $6.8 billion.
However, Soneye did not disclose the precise amount owed to the petrol suppliers.