13% Derivation: Governors Now Wealthier Than Their States – Edwin Clark
Elder statesman and national leader of the Ijaws, Edwin Clark, has alleged that some Nigerian governors have become wealthier than their states by diverting public funds for their personal use.
Information Nigeria recalls that eight oil-producing states in Nigeria received N144.31 billion from the federation account in the first quarter of 2022.
Despite 13 percent derivation, oil-producing states still battle high debt while critical infrastructures suffer.
The amount is a statutory allocation of the 13 percent derivation formula as enshrined in section 162, sub-section 2 of the Nigerian constitution.
The states were Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo, Ondo, Imo, and Abia.
According to Clark, who made the revelation during an interview with Arise Television on the country’s current situation and expectations from the current administration, Nigerians should focus on what governors are doing rather than the federal government, citing the importance of states in the socioeconomic development of the people.
He furthered that, despite the 13% allocation to the Niger Delta region from oil revenue, the States are still lagging behind, owing primarily to the governors’ refusal to use the funds for the benefit of the States.
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“It’s too early for me to comment on President Tinubu administration. But it’s true that the Niger-Delta people produce almost all the oil resources in this country. But we haven’t seen a change in our own homes. We are poorer than we were when our forefathers were alive because they were wealthy traders.
“But today, everything has gone down. Our schools aren’t well equipped. There are no teachers in some of them. We don’t have proper development in our area. A series of inquiries were set up in 1998, but now, where are they? Nothing has happened. We are suffering. We have no light, we have no water. Fishes are dying in our rivers.
“People like the late General Yar’adua felt that there was a need to compensate the Niger-Delta who are the people that produce the oil of the country. And we were around lobbying when 13 per cent was drafted from the oil revenue for the development of our region. If that money was properly spent, our people wouldn’t have been agitating. But we are now facing the federal government and not the governors who have been stealing the money.
“What are our governors doing with the 13 per cent? No wonder governors are now richer than their states,” he said.
