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| Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim |
‘Imagine a country where you have 36 states and
you have 9 states privileged group in a so-called oil producing states that are
getting more money than they can manage or need. We also have the other group
of states which have only one source of revenue and that are the monthly
allocation from the federal government.’
‘That one is universal. It is for everybody. The oil- producing
states have the federation take home, 13per cent derivation, the Ministry of
Niger Delta Affairs with hundreds of billions for projects in the region, the
NDDC with billions of naira, the oil companies, doing a lot and finally, the
Federal Government gives very handsome grants to oil-producing states under all
sorts of guises. You also have the Amnesty Programme, all in the same region.
So, they have six different sources of income.’
‘The other states are left with one source of income. I know how we
indirectly got there. The oil producing communities have been neglected for a
long time. There is no doubt about that. They were not taking very good care of
them. In our own anxious way of solving the problems, we are now over funding
them and underfunding the non-oil producing states.’
states have the federation take home, 13per cent derivation, the Ministry of
Niger Delta Affairs with hundreds of billions for projects in the region, the
NDDC with billions of naira, the oil companies, doing a lot and finally, the
Federal Government gives very handsome grants to oil-producing states under all
sorts of guises. You also have the Amnesty Programme, all in the same region.
So, they have six different sources of income.’
‘The other states are left with one source of income. I know how we
indirectly got there. The oil producing communities have been neglected for a
long time. There is no doubt about that. They were not taking very good care of
them. In our own anxious way of solving the problems, we are now over funding
them and underfunding the non-oil producing states.’
‘This disparity can bring all sorts of crisis to the country in the
future. We have to consciously do something about this development before it
will put us in very bad and embarrassing situation. So, there is going to be a
review. It will be done holistically.’
future. We have to consciously do something about this development before it
will put us in very bad and embarrassing situation. So, there is going to be a
review. It will be done holistically.’
