Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has put his counterparts, G5 governors in the spotlight following his revelation that President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government has paid the 13 per cent oil derivation money held back since 1999.
Pendulum Nigeria reports that Wike threw his colleagues into the spotlight when he spoke during a banquet organised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers state for the PDP G5 governors on Friday, November 8, 2022.
He said: “I am not an Apostle of Buhari; he is not my friend but I have no regret to appreciate him for paying the money meant for the Niger Delta states. He has paid. Let everybody come and account for it.”
Recall that at the inauguration of the Port Harcourt campus of the Nigerian Law School on the same day, Wike said it is the oil money approved and paid during Mr. Buhari’s administration that he has been using to execute multi-billion naira projects in Rivers.
“The truth is that, and let me say it for the first time, and many people have been asking me, ‘where do you get money for all these projects?’.
“Let me say it, and I want the attorney general to thank Mr President for monies that were not paid to the Niger Delta states, from 1999, the 13 per cent derivation money that was not paid, Mr President approved and paid all of us in the Niger Delta States. And for me, it would be unfair not to tell the public. It is not money from FAAC. It is money paid to Rivers State, Akwa Ibom State, Edo State, Bayelsa State, Delta State, and I thank God.
“That is why, since 2019 till now, we have been commissioning projects in the state,” Wike said.
Pendulum Nigeria’s Verdict
This online news platform observed that none of the south-south governors announced via any media or medium that the Buhari-led federal government had paid the long overdue oil derivatives, therefore, it was an open betrayal of the governors. Hence Nigerians are renewing the calls for accountability from the governors in the Niger Delta region.
