- Says lopsided federalism unfair to Bayelsa
By Abiola Olawale
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has flayed the continuous implementation of what he described as “lopsided” federalism in Nigeria.
This is as the governor of the oil-producing state called for the abandonment of the system in Nigeria, saying the practice has hindered the development of his state.
Diri also called for a review of the revenue derivation formula, saying that what is being allocated to oil-producing states is unfair to be people of the region.
Diri said he remains puzzled that Nigeria still operates a system where resource-endowed states in the country, particularly in the Niger Delta, get 13 per cent as monthly allocation from their resources.
Diri, who spoke 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, said that the public perception that Bayelsa is insolvent and unable to exist without monthly federal allocation is wrong.
He added that its resources were being expropriated to Abuja and shared with other states in the country.
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 in 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 the 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.
The Governor also applauded the Ijaws in the United States of America and Canada, urging them not to allow the fire of Ijaw nationalism that had been ignited to extinguish and ensure that the annual event was sustained while promising the support of his administration.
