FG suspends FAAC allocation to Rivers following court order

The Federal Government has announced the suspension of monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements to Rivers State, citing a court ruling as the basis for its decision.

This was confirmed by Bawa Mokwa, spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, who noted that the move complies with a Federal High Court order addressing the political crisis in Rivers State.

According to Mokwa, while no state in Nigeria has received October’s FAAC allocation yet, the Federal Government will adhere to the court’s directive concerning Rivers State. “The Federal Government will obey the court order on the matter of Rivers State allocation,” he stated.

The suspension follows a ruling by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Abuja Federal High Court, which directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation to withhold FAAC funds from Rivers State until Governor Siminalayi Fubara resubmits the state’s budget to the legally recognized House of Assembly.

The court also barred the CBN, Zenith Bank, and Access Bank from granting Governor Fubara access to funds from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.

This development comes amid rising tensions between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now serving as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Political observers link the crisis to deep-seated disagreements over governance and the control of state affairs.

The decision to withhold FAAC funds is expected to exacerbate the already heated political climate in Rivers State.