Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called on the Federal Government to include the state in the disbursement of the 13 percent oil revenue derivation fund, citing the state's official recognition as an oil-producing entity by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in December 2022.

The governor made this appeal on Tuesday while receiving the Indices and Disbursement Committee of RMAFC at the Government House in Enugu.

"We still have this pending issue of Enugu State being recognised as an oil producing state, which your Office actually communicated to us sometime in December 2022 based on the report of the Inter-agency Technical Committee," Mbah stated.

According to the governor, the committee had recommended that Enugu should benefit from the 13 percent derivation from oil fields in Anambra River Basin 1, Anambra River Basin 2, and Anambra River 3. However, he lamented that the state was yet to receive any benefits from these fields.

"It is our hope that your Office will put the necessary machinery in motion to ensure that we begin to benefit from that," he added.

Despite the delay in receiving the derivation fund, Governor Mbah highlighted his administration's efforts to boost the state's internally generated revenue (IGR), which he said had grown by over 400 percent through broadening revenue sources and deploying technology to block leakages.

"It is our hope that your indices also would be updated to reflect that much growth in our domestic revenue. We hope to actually surpass that. Our IGR in our 2025 budget is over 500 billion. And from the indications, we are going to surpass that projection," the governor stated.

Mbah also emphasized his administration's commitment to transparency and accountability, noting that all revenues accruing to local governments reached them in full, with additional support for funding major projects.

In response, Mr. Ismaila Mohammed Agaka, the team leader and RMAFC Commissioner representing Kwara State, commended Governor Mbah for the proper utilization of federal allocations and IGR to transform the state within a short period.

"Before we came, we thought it was one of those media blitz that accompany the activities of state governors. But we have gone around. We have seen for ourselves the work going on," Agaka remarked.

He particularly praised the governor's initiatives, including the Smart Schools and Health Centres across the 260 wards in the state, describing them as "very commendable."

Agaka explained that the RMAFC team's visit aimed to monitor disbursements from the Federation Account to Enugu State, identify any irregularities or misapplication of indices used in sharing revenue, examine actual deductions made before disbursement, and address any issues affecting local government councils.