By Samuel Oyadongha

Yenagoa—As the controversy over ownership of the disputed Soku oil wells rages, Bayelsa State Government, yesterday, said there was no iota of truth in Rivers State Government’s claim that Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, wrongly paid the state N17bn from escrow account.

The government also called on people of the affected communities, Nembe and Kalabari kingdoms, not to allow the unity of Ijaw nation to be affected by the antics of those who want to play politics over the disputed oil wells.

Escrow account

Speaking at the inauguration of a 14-man State Boundaries Committee, Governor Seriake Dickson, in a statement issued by Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said at no point in time did RMFAC wrongly pay any amount from escrow account to Bayelsa State Government.

He said: “It is not true that Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission paid any amount of money to the government of Bayelsa State wrongly from an escrow account. That is wrong, that is not true. No N17 billion was ever kept in any escrow account. No such money was ever paid to the government of Bayelsa State.

Disputed oil wells

”That is deliberate falsehood that has been put out to create an impression of bias on the part of a hardworking, impartial federal agency that is doing its work. The truth, however, is that last year, the government of Bayelsa State in the last administration, made some claims against Rivers State on the account of revenue collection due Bayelsa in respect of some disputed wells.

”The government of Rivers State and its officials duly defended this claim and at the end of it, there was a reconciliation of figures. At the end of the reconciliation it was found and agreed upon by all parties, including officials of the government of Rivers State, that the government had wrongly collected the sum of N17 billion that was due Bayelsa State.

”That was determined and found to be a fact at the reconciliation. Therefore an agreement was reached by all parties, including the representatives of the  government of Rivers State for a refund to be made. Government of Rivers State also made a counter claim of wrongful payment in respect of some other wells in its territory to Bayelsa State and other neighbouring states.

”The appropriate federal agencies looked at these claims, heard from all the parties and found that, as a fact , Rivers State Government was entitled to refund of close to N15-N16bn again as in defence, there was an agreement reached for refund, as a result of which all the states affected were made to refund that money.

Refund was agreed upon to be made to Rivers State. Either all the states affected have paid or in the process of doing so. The government of Bayelsa State was made to pay about N2bn as refund to Rivers State based on that consensual understanding.”