FG Secretly Withdraws $5billion from Excess Crude Account, Says Amaechi

The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, who is also Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has alleged that the sum of $5b was withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account without governors knowing what the money was used for.


Amaechi, who spoke at the NGF retreat yesterday in Sokoto, Sokoto State, said there was  $9b in the account in January this year, but regretted that the amount had been depleted without the governors knowing why the money was withdrawn.

According to the governor:  “The Excess Crude Account in January was N9billion. That account belongs to Federal, States and Local Governments. Today it is N4billion. We don’t know who took the $5billion.”

Money accruing from the Federation Account and the sharing of the money by the Federal Account Allocation Committee was one of the topics discussed at the retreat.

Amaechi also alleged that the Federal Government had been using anti-corruption agencies to harass governors who hold different opinions from that of President Goodluck Jonathan.

He wondered why these anti-corruption agencies had refused to visit other government establishments like the Federal Ministries of work, finance, Niger Delta and even the NNPC.
Instead of this, he said the EFCC was always going to such states like Kano and Jigawa, where governors of the affected states hold different political views from that of President Jonathan.

He said, “Today, the EFCC is either in Jigawa or in Kano States because they (the governors) disagree with the President. What about NNPC? What about Ministry of Niger Delta and the Ministry of Works?

“The whole governors put together receive 26 per cent from the revenue of the Federation. The Federal Government gets 52 per cent.  And with that 52 per cent, nobody goes after the Federal Government to say how did you spent it. And then you go after those who get 26 per cent”