Militants Tackle N’Delta Govs, Demand Accountability Of Billions Collected Through 13 Percent Derivation

Recalcitrant militant group, the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) has called on Niger Delta governors to account for alleged N44.68trn of 13 percent derivation allocation from 1999-2018.

The group, said that from 2018 to 2021, the 13 percent derivation funds collected by Niger Delta State governors has accumulated to N50 to N55 trillion.

In a statement after an emergency meeting held in the Creek convened by the Commanding Officer of the RNDA, Johnmark Ezon-Ebi (aka Obama), RNDA said that it wants 13 percent derivation allocation paid directly to the oil and gas producing communities for the interest of peace.

The statement reads; “With the huge trillions collected by this South South state governors yet the oil-producing states remain most indebted.

“The Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) militant group, called on governors of the nine oil-producing states to account for N44.68 trillion of 13 per cent derivation allocation received since 1999-2018 and from datas available to us from 2018 to 2021 over N50 to N55 trillion has been collected by this Niger Delta State governors without any significant development in the oil and gas producing communities.”

The group said that the governors from the oil producing states have collected the said sum apart from internally generated revenue and monthly allocation from the Federation account excluding excess crude monies, Paris club bail out funds, monthly security funds and other funds that come from the federal government to the purse of oil producing state governors.

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“RNDA also pointed out that President Muhammad Buhari released Paris Club Bailout funds to the governors running into billions of naira. Unfortunately, the debt profile of the six oil producing states in the region amounts to over N1.25 trillion.”

The group also vehemently opposed the claim of the governors of South-South states that blamed the region underdevelopment to failure to inaugurate of the board of the NDDC.

“While the south south states governors refuse to properly utilize the trillions of naira collected from the 13 percent derivation funds and also refuse to use these funds to develop the area which is the purpose for collecting the funds from the federal government.

“And it is on this note that we are vehemently opposed to the claim by the South-South state governors alleging that it is the refusal to inaugurate the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) that led to underdevelopment in the region. We are saying that it is a big lie and far from the truth.

“We the RNDA militant group want to say capital NO to this claim made by the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, who is the Chairman of the South-South Governors Forum, because the major reason why the Niger Delta region is still under developed is the fact that the South -South State Governors refused to properly utilize the 13 per cent Derivation funds that is coming to their coffers but find their way into their pocket and that of their cronies which they use to buy properties worth billions of naira in Dubai, Lagos and Abuja with the balance siphoned to their various foreign accounts

“And now you can see how the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari did everything humanly possible through the tireless efforts of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) to help secure the repatriation of the over £4. 6 million and also forfeited properties bought with the stolen 13 percent derivation funds that belongs to the oil and gas producing communities in Delta State which was siphoned and diverted by the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori.”

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Going further, the group also accused the governors of Niger Delta States of abandoning and neglecting the development of the oil producing communities.

They alleged that “Delta State alone has received over N40 trillion and above from the 13 percent derivation allocation funds within the period under review, indicating poor infrastructural development and human capacity building in coastal areas of the state whose oil production is in the highest volume which the Delta State governor is riding on to receive the highest amount of money from the 13 percent derivation allocation funds on monthly.

According to the statement, the oil  producing communities in the creeks of Delta State are supposed to have access to basic amenities and transformed into urban towns and cities.

The statement called for the infrastructural development of the oil producing communities in the creeks and the rural areas that cuts across the Niger Delta region “which will turn around the fortunes of the lives of the oil and gas producing communities in the Niger Delta region which could be named as Nigeria Oil and Gas Derivation Commission (NOGDEC).”