A detailed analysis has emerged pushing back against recent allegations that Governor Hyacinth Lormen Alia of Benue State received a “fresh” Paris Club refund, describing such claims as misleading and factually unfounded.
According to the post by Manasseh Akawe and signed by economist and policy analyst Comrade Tyokegh Benjamin, Nigeria successfully exited the Paris Club debt trap by 2006 after negotiating and paying off its debts. While the Federal Government continued making deductions from state allocations for years afterward, states successfully argued they had been over-deducted. Between 2016 and 2019, the Federal Government paid refunds to states as reimbursement for these excess deductions. These payments were not new loans or “free money” but owed reimbursements.
The clarification stressed that the refunds process was concluded by 2019, with the Minister of Finance at the time, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, confirming in May 2019 that over N691.56 billion had already been disbursed to states. Any suggestion of a new tranche of Paris Club refunds to Benue or any other state in 2025 or 2026 lacks factual basis.
The write-up distinguished these historical refunds from later consultancy and legal disputes that continued after 2019, noting that the two issues are separate. It called for anyone making allegations of fresh refunds to provide concrete evidence, including approval documents, payment dates, amounts, and records in the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) reports.
The post also highlighted that Governor Alia inherited a heavily indebted state (over N359 billion) and has focused on clearing liabilities without resorting to new borrowings. It described spreading unverified claims as unhelpful and urged restraint unless verifiable proof of mismanagement is presented.
The intervention aims to set the record straight amid ongoing public confusion and political debates surrounding state finances in Benue.
