News
Communities Accuse EFCC of Silence over Alleged Diversion of Delta’s ₦1.3 Trillion Derivation Fund
By Francis Sadhere, Warri
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has come under renewed criticism following what stakeholders from oil-producing communities in Delta State describe as a “disturbing silence” over the alleged diversion of ₦1.3 trillion belonging to the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) during the administration of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
In an open letter dated October 20, 2025, and addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, the Ibe-Sorimowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Chief (Comrade) Mulade Sheriff, accused the Commission of abandoning the investigation into the alleged diversion of funds meant for the development of oil-bearing communities.
According to the letter, the funds represent 50 percent of the 13% oil derivation allocation due to DESOPADEC between 2015 and 2023, which Okowa allegedly diverted through a holding account. The petition also cited an additional ₦40 billion reportedly used to acquire an eight percent equity stake in a major Nigerian bank to fund the UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas project.
Chief Mulade, who led a coalition of ethnic representatives from Ijaw, Itsekiri, Ndokwa, Urhobo, and Isoko communities in a 2023 protest to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, lamented that nothing has been heard about the investigation nearly a year after Okowa’s reported arrest and release.
“The EFCC’s continued silence calls for concern, particularly from the oil-bearing communities who remain victims of Okowa’s cruelty,” Mulade stated. “Is the EFCC silent because the sitting governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has joined the APC? Or is there now an unwritten rule that joining the ruling party absolves one of past corruption offences?”
He accused the anti-graft agency of “compromising its mandate” and warned that its inaction could embolden other public officials to loot state funds under the belief that political alignment guarantees immunity.
Citing Olorogun Stephen K. Dieseruvwe, a Delta-born public affairs commentator based in the UK, the letter emphasized that the 13% derivation fund “is not discretionary spending for governors” but a statutory allocation for the development of oil-producing areas.
“It is unjust and inhuman to deprive oil-producing communities of their rightful entitlement. Without oil exploration from these areas, Delta State would not receive the 13% derivation in the first place,” Dieseruvwe was quoted as saying.
Mulade urged the EFCC Chairman to emulate the “principled courage” of former EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu, now National Security Adviser, whose tenure he said earned public trust through fearless enforcement of anti-corruption laws.
He concluded by warning that the EFCC’s reputation is on the line if it fails to act decisively on the Delta derivation fund investigation.
“This is a wake-up call to the EFCC to act. The world is watching,” he said. “A stitch in time saves nine.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has come under renewed criticism following what stakeholders from oil-producing communities in Delta State describe as a “disturbing silence” over the alleged diversion of ₦1.3 trillion belonging to the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) during the administration of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
In an open letter dated October 20, 2025, and addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, the Ibe-Sorimowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Chief (Comrade) Mulade Sheriff, accused the Commission of abandoning the investigation into the alleged diversion of funds meant for the development of oil-bearing communities.
According to the letter, the funds represent 50 percent of the 13% oil derivation allocation due to DESOPADEC between 2015 and 2023, which Okowa allegedly diverted through a holding account. The petition also cited an additional ₦40 billion reportedly used to acquire an eight percent equity stake in a major Nigerian bank to fund the UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas project.
Chief Mulade, who led a coalition of ethnic representatives from Ijaw, Itsekiri, Ndokwa, Urhobo, and Isoko communities in a 2023 protest to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, lamented that nothing has been heard about the investigation nearly a year after Okowa’s reported arrest and release.
“The EFCC’s continued silence calls for concern, particularly from the oil-bearing communities who remain victims of Okowa’s cruelty,” Mulade stated. “Is the EFCC silent because the sitting governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has joined the APC? Or is there now an unwritten rule that joining the ruling party absolves one of past corruption offences?”
He accused the anti-graft agency of “compromising its mandate” and warned that its inaction could embolden other public officials to loot state funds under the belief that political alignment guarantees immunity.
Citing Olorogun Stephen K. Dieseruvwe, a Delta-born public affairs commentator based in the UK, the letter emphasized that the 13% derivation fund “is not discretionary spending for governors” but a statutory allocation for the development of oil-producing areas.
“It is unjust and inhuman to deprive oil-producing communities of their rightful entitlement. Without oil exploration from these areas, Delta State would not receive the 13% derivation in the first place,” Dieseruvwe was quoted as saying.
Mulade urged the EFCC Chairman to emulate the “principled courage” of former EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu, now National Security Adviser, whose tenure he said earned public trust through fearless enforcement of anti-corruption laws.
He concluded by warning that the EFCC’s reputation is on the line if it fails to act decisively on the Delta derivation fund investigation.
“This is a wake-up call to the EFCC to act. The world is watching,” he said. “A stitch in time saves nine.”
