BY EMMA AMAIZE, Regional Editor, S-south

WHAT is your take on the northern governors’ clamour for a review of the country’s revenue sharing formula? 

Well, they are at liberty to call for the review but they should leave whatever that has been agreed upon concerning the Niger- Delta and the oil producing states. The portion that is being given to us as 13 per cent was not something that came by accident.

This was something people sat at a Constitutional Conference that spanned between 1994 and 1995. Our leaders, including Chief Wellington Okrika who was referred to as Mr. 13 per cent actually was one of the people with traditional rulers and leaders of thought like late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who actually supported the move for the 13 per cent.

Chief Bob Nabena

So, it was a military decision, planned by the military people and until it was ratified by the Supreme Court judgment in 1999 during President Olusegun government, that was what brought about some ample peace that has enabled us come thus far, crowned with the amnesty programme, which has brought about increased production.

All of a sudden some people now gather and try to thwart the derivation principle, even after knowing that there is reason for the13 per cent. I am very sorry for them. If they do that, they will be looking for more problems. Right now, there is peace and we are looking towards integration of the Ijaw and all the tribes of the Niger Delta together with the entire Nigeria.

So why would they now want to try and cause trouble. They can do a revenue review but they should not touch on the 13 per cent derivation. The 13 per cent as at now is not even what we demanded, given the peculiarity of our terrain but it is a sacrifice we have to make for the Nigerian federation.

The original arrangement was that this money should be directed to the host communities, the governors eventually got this money and the wise governors established special commissions like in Delta, Abia, Imo, Ondo and if you go to these host communities, the people have a sense of belonging. Projects are being executed in these host communities and the people are elated that government is coming closer to them.

Bayelsa needs BASOPADEC: Unfortunately, we cannot say the same thing with our state, Bayelsa. When the former governor, Chief Timipre Sylva was there, he did not want to hear anything like the host communities or HOSCOM or even BASOPADEC. But I thank God for bringing Governor Seriake Dickson who I know in his heart has a special interest for the host communities, especially the oil and gas producing areas.

Now we are making presentation to him about BASOPADEC and I know that this commission, which we are talking about, will go a long way to put all those things that make the Northern governors to feel that the derivation money are not being stolen or siphoned. I know that our governor would not steal our money this time. We want 50 per cent of the amount of this money. Out of the 13 per cent that is being paid to the state, we want 50 per cent of that money to be ploughed back into the commission called BASOPADEC. This commission would go a long way to put things that would address health challenges facing some communities affected by gas explosion. The next thing is education.

Our children are not in schools because poverty looms all over the place. Then our women should be empowered. We need micro credit loans not fake ones. The micro credit loans will actually empower them to engage in farming and fishing. Due to joblessness, our youths are still wasting away and this development may encourage them to go back to militancy. We need to retrain them in the acquisition of skills that would enable them to be self employed and facilitate their re-integration into the society.

On the contentious oil wells 200 metres offshore: I don’t think the Northern governors have the facts on this issue. The chemicals from crude oil exploration definitely come to the coast. From the coast, it goes inside and even if you take a boat and alight by the coast, you would see the effects on the coastal settlements. So how would you be able to speak about 200 metres, when you are in Sokoto over there and somebody is in the coast of Southern Ijaw in Bayelsa, who feels the effects of oil exploration here.

Theory or argument

There is no correlation to that theory or argument put forward by the Northern governors. It wasn’t 13 per cent we were asking, it is not even  25 per cent, it is 50 per cent before it was cut down to 13 per cent and we said fine, even when it came to the implementation, it was a war. From 1995 when the constitution conference ended, it was not until 1999 before we started getting the implementation.

It is something we really need to look into. The Northern governors, with all due respect, they can come to a round table and let them know what it is.

If there are certain things that are making them at all to call for review of the revenue sharing formula, I think it is that area of our South South Governors, especially the Niger Delta governors that are not putting this money to better use to help our own people. For instance, we are appealing to the President to actually find a way to appeal to the all the governors to set up a commission.

If there is a commission set up nobody will now begin to tell us how this money is being carried, laundered into other places. This is exactly what is creating the room for the clamour for review of the sharing formula when they start seeing the different misuse and abuse of the money; they believe the 13 per cent is n