The Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA), a coalition of militants,has said that the 13 per cent derivation funds collected by Niger Delta governors since 1999 had accumulated to N55trn
The group implored President Muhammadu Buhari to stop paying the 13 per cent derivation funds to the governors of the region.
It advised that the 13 per cent derivation should be paid directly to the oil and gas-producing communities in the interest of peace since the previous ones collected by the governors did not impact positively on the host communities and the people.
These positions were captured in a statement by the RNDA’s Commanding Officer, ‘Major General’ Johnmark Ezon-Ebi, after the coalition rose from their emergency meeting allegedly convened in the creeks of the region.
The group maintained that the governors of the oil-producing states had collected the said whopping amount of money apart from the internally generated revenues and monthly allocations from the Federation Account excluding Excess Crude monies, Paris Club bailout funds and monthly security funds and other funds.
RNDA also claimed that Buhari released Paris Club bailout funds to the governors running into billions of naira but unfortunately, the debt profile of the oil producing states in the region amounted to over N1.25 trillion.
It said, “The Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA), coalition of militant groups that is agitating for the overall development of the Niger Delta region, most especially for the betterment of the oil and gas producing communities in the creeks, has challenged governors of the Niger Delta to give proper account of over N55 trillion they have collected so far from the Federation Account on 13 per cent derivation from 1999 to 2021.
“The amount is without the IGRs and monthly allocations from the Federation Account. From 1999 to 2018, according to financial records obtained by us, the Niger Delta oil-producing states have received over N44.68 trillion and from 2018 to 2021 they have collected over N50 trillion.
“Despite that Southsouth oil producing state governors are of the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has never denied them of the 13 per cent derivation funds monthly.
“President Buhari also has never denied them even the Paris Club bailout funds. They were given to them in billions of naira for over two consecutive times and yet these Southsouth six oil producing states’ debt profile is huge and running into over N1.25 trillion.”
