Nigeria’s 36 states received a combined ₦2.39 trillion from the Federation Account in the second quarter of 2026, representing an increase of about ₦259.41 billion, or 12.2 per cent, compared with the ₦2.13 trillion allocated in the first quarter.

An analysis of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements for April to June showed significant changes in the ranking of the biggest beneficiaries, with several oil-producing states recording strong increases while Lagos State moved from first position in Q1 to third in Q2.

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Delta State emerged as the largest recipient, receiving ₦188.01 billion in Q2, up from ₦143.42 billion in Q1. Rivers State ranked second with ₦172.03 billion, compared with ₦123.96 billion in the previous quarter.

Lagos, which topped the Q1 table with ₦200.21 billion, received ₦165.57 billion in Q2, representing a decline of ₦34.64 billion, or 17.3 per cent.

Delta’s Q2 allocation increased by ₦44.59 billion, while Rivers recorded a ₦48.07 billion increase. Akwa Ibom recorded one of the strongest percentage increases among the leading oil-producing states, rising from ₦109.76 billion in Q1 to ₦160.51 billion in Q2, an increase of 46.2 per cent.

Bayelsa also recorded a significant increase, moving from ₦114.47 billion to ₦152.25 billion, representing a 33 per cent rise. Together, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa added about ₦181.19 billion to their combined allocations between the two quarters.

The decline in Lagos’ allocation was largely associated with lower VAT receipts. The state’s Q1 VAT allocation was approximately ₦193.50 billion, while its Q2 net VAT allocation stood at about ₦150.56 billion, a reduction of approximately ₦42.94 billion.

Despite the decline in total FAAC receipts, Lagos remained the largest recipient of net VAT, followed by Rivers with ₦75.81 billion and Oyo with ₦44.29 billion. Kano received ₦34.17 billion in VAT.

Kano remained the largest northern recipient, receiving ₦77.53 billion in Q2, compared with ₦75.03 billion in Q1. Oyo’s allocation increased marginally from ₦68.98 billion to ₦70.12 billion.

Ekiti recorded the sharpest percentage increase, with its allocation rising from ₦17.12 billion in Q1 to ₦39.24 billion in Q2, representing a 129.2 per cent increase. The rise followed an unusually weak Q1 performance, during which the state recorded negative statutory allocations in January and February, according to the supplied data.

Most other states also recorded increases during the quarter. Imo rose by 14.1 per cent, Taraba by 13.1 per cent, Kaduna by 12 per cent and Ogun by 18.1 per cent. Abia, Ondo, Ebonyi and Borno also recorded increases.

Based on the supplied figures, Lagos was the only state to record a decline in total FAAC receipts between Q1 and Q2. Meanwhile, the combined allocation to the five biggest Q2 recipients — Delta, Rivers, Lagos, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa — rose to approximately ₦838.37 billion, accounting for about 35 per cent of the total state allocation.

The Q2 figures indicate that stronger receipts among oil-producing states, particularly Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, were major contributors to the overall increase in state allocations. The distribution also highlights the different revenue patterns across states, with oil-producing states benefiting significantly from statutory and derivation-related revenues, while economically active states such as Lagos and Oyo maintained substantial VAT receipts.