Ini Friday
A former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and chairman, Akwa Ibom Elders Vanguard, Senator Aniete Okon, has described the comment by the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Matters, Senator Ita Enang, on the 13% derivation, as morally deficient.
Enang had while speaking at a webnar on, “Resolving Host Communities Question” organised by Orderpaper in partnership with the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta and Nigeria Natural resources Charter, criticised Niger Delta governors for being unkind to the region.
“The governors have not been kind to the Niger Delta, and I want to pray the National Assembly to amend Niger Delta Development Act as well as amend the constitution so that the 13% derivation does not go to the governors; it should go to the host communities and targeted at the development of such communities.
“This is because governors use the 13 % derivation to buy aircraft and use the money to develop and build many houses and these monies are found in Banana Island and foreign countries. Let us find a legislative mean whereby these monies can be used for the development of the communities,” Enang had advised.
But reacting to Enang’s statement in a release made available to our correspondent in Uyo on Tuesday, Okon said Enang is just raising dust over nothing, adding that it unexpected of him to question about derivation to states when states are being short-changed by the APC-led government.
‘’Derivation is to the states and Ita Enang is trying to ride a ridiculously cheap horse when he has failed not only in his duty to the people and to the President.
“First of all, the President is the Minister of Petroleum and has been responsible for the unmitigated short-changing of states over derivation.
‘’We would have expected somebody like Ita Enang to talk about the short-changing of states. For him to talk about 13 percent, the question is, how much has the federal government earned and as a federal employee, how has he helped in attracting federal investment to the states?
‘’It stands compelling and morally deficient to make a statement on what a state government is doing or not doing. We believe, Ita Enang is up to his usual pursuit of doing some master’s biddings. The 13 per cent is not enough for the states and we are looking at 50 percent and that is why we are calling for restructuring.
“So, Ita Enang is just raising dust over nothing. And it is unexpected of him to also say that the major oil companies are the ones causing crises in the region.
‘’As far as we know, Ita Enang has never done anything positive about the Niger Delta when he was in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.
‘’What about the crisis in the NDDC and the rot in NNPC? Why has he not advised his boss that nepotism has been carried too far and the posts number one to twenty-three have been occupied by people from the North?
“Nepotism diminishes the capacity in this country and that is why today we are reeling under heavy debt burden every year, other than resort to means of raising money rather than loans. Who will pay the loans? Certainly, not a legacy to leave behind to our children,’’ Okon queried.