the hurried demand by Northern governors, Huhuonline.comcan disclose.
The angst, according to findings, is due to recent calls by Northern governor, through the Chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum and governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, calling for an urgent review of the revenue formula which “reflects current realities.”
The South-South governors have argued that revenues accruing to each state should be justified by the resources available in such state, adding that the demand by Northern governors is insensitive, considering the decades of marginalisation and environmental degradation suffered by the South-South oil and gas wealthy states.
Other stakeholders in the South-South geo-political zone and activists in the vexed Niger Delta region have also reasoned that the North should not seek for expanded federal government allocation based on revenues accruing from oil located in other regions but should instead seek ways of generating revenues to run their states as exemplified in the defunct era of the groundnut pyramids, which derivations were used to fund only the North.
Governor Aliyu had criticized the rationalehis Northern Niger state receiving between N4.2bn and N4.5bn monthly allocation from the federation accounts whereas some other states in the Niger Delta region received 20 times the amount, saying that “The revenue allocation formula should be looked at. We are hoping that within 2012, there would be discussions and review of the allocation formula. It will not serve everybody well if certain parts of the country are not doing well while some parts are doing exceptionally well. So, the pressure will continue until we are able to find a solution.”
The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, had also decried the low allocation to Northern states from the Federation Account, attributing the uneven distribution of the country’s wealth to the upsurge of violence in the North, particularly that of the Islamic Boko Haram terrorist group.
But piqued by these outcries, some governors and major stakeholders from the oil and gas rich states of the South-South zone and Niger Delta region, have described the comments was unfair and lacked appreciation of the fact that the oil-producing states were, the “goose that lay the golden egg.”
The Rivers state government, through the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said “It is unfortunate that this is coming from a governor I respect. Knowing the environmental degradation in the Niger Delta, the thought of getting equal allocation of funds is unnecessary.
“Every state has its own resources. We also have states that are doing well in agriculture but the proceeds from such resources are not shared among states.
“The funds that are shared among the states of the federation come from the oil bearing states. The level of magnanimity from the Niger Delta should be saluted and not the call for sharing the proceeds from the oil-bearing states equally.” Her Akwa-Ibom State counterpart, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, said, “The demand by the northern governors is improper. When they were receiving 50 per cent for groundnut, they did not share it with anybody.
“Now that 13 per cent oil derivation is paid to the South-South and other oil producing states in the country, they want the money to be shared with them.”
“Don’t they know about environmental degradation? Don’t they think that people live along the coastline and that they are affected by oil spills and other environmental degradation through the activities of oil companies?
“What have they suffered to justify their demand that they equally get 13 per cent of oil revenue? It is uncalled for.”
In Abia State, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Theodore Orji said, “I don’t think it is fair for anybody to complain about what Niger Delta states get as monthly allocation because these are the states that suffer environmental degradation. It will not be fair for anybody to say that the funds from crude oil should be shared equally between the oil-producing and non-oil producing states.
“What we are getting in Abia as a Niger Delta state is not enough and we are calling for an upward review of our monthly allocation. Abia is serious about developing the state and as an oil-bearing state; we need more funds to achieve all these.
Also in Ondo State, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade said, “We should not forget the fact that states that are currently enjoying the derivation fund had experienced serious environmental degradation and untold neglect by successive governments in the past despite the fact that they were ‘laying the golden eggs.’
“The bulk of the money being used to develop the country is coming from the natural resources being derived from the oil producing states but they remain the least developed in terms of provision of infrastructural facilities. “The condition of most residents of the oil producing communities is appalling. Many of them do not have access to drinkable water, decent accommodation, good roads, functional public schools and qualitative health care, among others.”
In the same vein, stakeholder and Niger Delta activist, Annkio Briggs, queried that “I want him to know that it is unfair that there are 36 states in Nigeria and only nine states are actually contributing something; and people who are not contributing anything at all are now talking about injustice”, while former President of Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Kimse Okoko and its present National Secretary, Mr. Robinson Esitei, described the clamour as grossly ‘insensitive.’
They claim that such clamour would further strengthen the call for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) and need to amend the 1999 Constitution in favour of true federalism in the country. “They are trying to make a case on the basis of their own interest. We have our own interest and we will protect it. They don’t experience the kind of severe pollution that the people of our states experience in this country.
“It is not fair that we should bear the environmental destruction caused by oil spills in the littoral states and at the same time share with those people who have absolutely not been affected by any oil pollution. We will just ignore those kinds of statements.
“This cannot be the position of Nigeria now, if the country is to move forward. In fact, we are proposing in the present constitutional amendment that Nigeria should revert back to the regional arrangement where each region would control its resources and pay tax to the centre.
“We are in essence saying that the present formula is disadvantageous to the Niger Delta people who are suffering degradation and other hazards that go with oil exploitation.”
Huhuonline.com investigations have proved that the current revenue allocation formula is 52.68 for the Federal Government; 26.72 per cent for states; and 20.6 per cent for council areas, while 13 per cent is given to the oil-producing states as derivation from proceeds accruing from sale of oil.
The 13 per cent derivation was introduced in 1999 as part of measures aimed at redressing the long-time grievances of oil-producing states.
Meanwhile, certified figures from the government stable has also shown that Rivers State received N1.053tn between 1999 and 2008 from the federal allocation while two states in North-East Nigeria, Yobe and Borno received N388bn within the same period
stupid leaders we have
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