Opposition Parties wants 13% derivation funds scrapped

Conference of Progressives Political Parties State Chairmen in South-South and South-East regions have called on federal government to review the 13 percent derivation funds given to the Niger-Delta States even as they accused the governors of diverting the funds meant for development of oil bearing communities.
Chief Christian Moses Abeh, Chairman Delta State chapter of Independent Democrats Party (IDP) and the chairman of the group, who spoke at the weekend in Asaba, said that almost 20 years after the enactment of the 13 percent derivation formula, that the funds have not been felt by various oil bearing communities in the Niger Delta region.
He said, “Almost all the Niger-Delta States have created their own Oil Producing Communities Commission (OPCC) but unfortunately, it is for the benefits of the governors and their appointed puppets who are willing tools in draining the 13 percent derivations. The derivation funds should instead be given to construction companies directly to develop the region.
“Over the years, these so-called OPCC have become a drain pipe where they siphon money meant for the oil bearing communities. Despite the huge funds allocated to them yearly, there is no meaningful projects to show, their schools look like abandoned village poultry, no portable drinking water, no electricity and no access roads, yet the governors keep deceiving the general public with fake adverts of executed and ongoing projects and that the communities have been transformed into a world class city”.
Abeh appealed to President Buhari to order the anti-graft agencies to carry out a forensic auditing of these so-called commissions saying that the level of corruption in these commissions were terribly stinking to high heavens.
He challenged the governors of the region to show records of how much they received and how the monies were spent since inception
According to him, “These agencies are the extended cassava farms of the governors and their cronies, if not, how can state-owned oil bearing commission be budgeting over N1billion for mere adverts, N4.8 billion per year for land security and another whopping N3.6billion for waterways security yearly, while N5billion for entertainment, estacodes and miscellaneous purposes, what a fraudulent and shameful organisations.”

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