A former federal lawmaker, Farah Dagogo has raised concerns about the utilisation of the 13 per cent derivation funds by the governors of the nine Niger Delta states, which are intended for oil-producing communities.
Dagogo, who represented Bonny-Degema Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, made this assertion in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday. The statement was signed by his media aide, Ibrahim Lawal, and sent to Newsmen.
A governorship aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, Dagogo expressed alarm that the Niger Delta region has received trillions of naira constitutionally accrued to it through the 13 per cent derivation for over 23 years.
While noting that over N600bn of that sum has already been received in the first half of 2024, he criticised successive governors from the region for failing to improve the welfare of the communities, where people continue to live in “squalor, diseases, and reeking with the worst and highest form of poverty.”
Despite the apparent failures of the Federal Government, Dagogo acknowledged that it “has not failed to actualize a steady increment in the 13 per cent derivation to the Niger Delta governors.”
The statement reads, “In January, N57.92 billion was released to oil-producing states. In February, it rose to N85.10 billion, and in March, the Niger Delta oil-producing states got N166.24 billion.
“The sums were N90.12 billion, N120.45 billion, and N106.50 billion for April, May, and June, respectively. Yes, we all agree that this Federal Government has not lived up to its billing.
“However, in this instance, you have to agree and acknowledge that these allocations demonstrate the Federal Government’s continued support for state governments, particularly in oil-producing regions, where the derivation funds serve as a critical source of revenue for addressing their unique challenges.”
Dagogo explained that the lack of effective utilisation of the funds has led the people to develop a “subconscious apathy” towards the amounts being released.
He lamented that the condition of oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta, given that the 13 per cent derivation which is intended to assist these communities in tackling infrastructural decay and degradation is mostly mismanaged and unaccounted for by the governors.
The former lawmaker further stated that instead of acting as custodians, the governors see the funds as “free monies.”
