N/Delta Militants Ask S/South Govs To Account For N50Trillion Allocation

….Urge FG To Set Aside Demands By S-South Leaders

A coalition of nine militant groups, under the auspices of Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA), has asked the Federal Government to throw away the seven points demands made by South-South Leaders at a recent meeting with a Presidential delegation in Port Harcourt until the governors of the region start releasing the 13 per cent derivation fund meant for oil producing communities.

The coalition also asked the governors to account for about N50 trillion derivation fund they had so far received from the federal government.

South-South Governors, Leaders and other stakeholders met with a Federal Government Delegation, led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State where they tabled a seven-point demand.

However, the Commanding Officer of RNDA, self professed “Major General” Johnmark Ezonebi, Aka Obama, in a statement said the seven points demand by six Peoples Democratic Party governors of the South-South at this time had “political undertone.”

RNDA also accused the governors of under-developing Niger Delta and misappropriating over N40 trillion derivation funds, saying they had no honorable standing to make demands on the federal government.

The militants said: “RNDA and the nine militant groups vehemently reject and oppose the seven points demands made by the governors of the South-South region following their meeting with a delegation of the Federal Government, headed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“The seven points demands for restructuring, true federalism, resource control and others at this point in time after the #ENDSARS youth protests which now negates 21-day ultimatum by RNDA should not be taken seriously because they lack the moral right to ask for any such seven point demands.

“If at all, the governors should first of all come out openly to give proper account of the over N44.9 to N50 trillion that these South-South governors have collected from the federal government as 13 percent derivation fund through the Federal Accounts all these years without any tangible, meaningful people oriented human capital development to address the sufferings of the people of the oil rich region.

“This is why the oil and gas producing communities demand that the Federal Government should stop, henceforth, payment of the 13 percent derivation fund to governors. The governors are owing debts to the tune of over N2 trillion. Records from the Debt Management Office shows the South-South states alone is indebted to the tune of N1.4 trillion.

“There is a break down to show that out of the 13 percent derivation fund, the governors in South South region have collected from 1999-2018:

Akwa Ibom – N1.47 trillion,
Bayelsa- N1.09 trillion,
Cross River- N278.12 billion,
Delta State- N39.9 trillion,
Edo State- N84.54 billion,
Rivers State- 1.44 trillion.

“Yet the oil and gas producing communities which are the legitimate owners of these 13 percent funds through the proceeds of the crude oil production from their backyard are still wallowing in abject poverty with all this huge amount in trillions all in the hands of these South-South governors and now, they still have the temerity to demand for restructuring and resource control.

“How will that be possible at this point in time? These South-South governors cannot fool us anymore. Our governors have embezzled and mismanaged these monies with cronies and nothing to show, no meaningful projects, no people oriented human capital development in the creeks and nothing reasonable to show for the huge amount.

“How can they now be pointing fingers at the Federal Government for the underdevelopment in the region and now coming up to demand for restructuring, resource control and true federalism when there is no equity, fairness and justice from the side of these South-South governors. The seven points demands submitted by the governors are baseless, meaningless, “the group stated.