ROFIAT MURAINA
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has said the country’s “lopsided” federalism practice has hindered the development of states, calling for a review of revenue derivation formula in line with the practice of fiscal federalism.
Diri, who queried the existing practice where resource-endowed states in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta, get 13 percent as monthly allocation from their resources, insisted that it was wrong to describe Bayelsa as insolvent and unable to exist without monthly federal allocation while its resources were being expropriated to Abuja and shared to other states in the country.
Speaking over the weekend in Houston, Texas, when Ijaws in the United States of America and Canada conferred on him the award of “Icon of Unity and Social Justice” as part of the three-day 2024 convention organized by Ijaw National Congress (INC)-Americas, Diri appreciated the organisers for upholding the Ijaw tradition and culture even in the diaspora.
Former Nigerian first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri; as well as renowned author and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo, were honoured.
Diri said: “The leadership of the Niger Delta has been with the Ijaws over the years. Now it looks like we are getting tired. But we should not. We have to continue with our leadership role while galvanising support from our neighbours and brothers in the region.
“The Niger Delta is an area that should be better than it is if we were allowed to use our resources for our development. Since I arrived this country, what crossed my mind has been how Bayelsa would be if we practised true federalism whereby we get 100 per cent of our revenue from oil and gas and not 13 per cent as it is today. Maybe we would have had one small Houston in Yenagoa.
“You cannot take away the resources in my state and the internally generated revenue that would have accrued to us and expropriate it in the name of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). Every month end, the 36 states in the country gather in Abuja to share resources accruing from my state and they still come back to insult us that our state is insolvent.
“I have never seen anywhere in the world where the essence of the FAAC is to share revenue only from oil and gas. What about the revenue from other mineral resources like gold? Why are they not also shared? This is the naked truth,” he said.
He urged them not to allow the fire of Ijaw nationalism that has been ignited to extinguish and ensure that the annual event was sustained while promising the support of his administration.
