Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has once again called for a revision of Nigeria’s revenue derivation formula in accordance with the principles of fiscal federalism. He questioned the current practice in which resource-rich states in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta, receive a meager 13 percent as monthly allocation from their resources.
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Governor Diri argued that the country’s imbalanced federalism has impeded the development of states. He made these remarks on Saturday in Houston, Texas, during the award ceremony where Ijaws in the United States of America and Canada conferred upon him the “Icon of Unity and Social Justice” award.
The three-day 2024 convention was organized by the Ijaw National Congress (INC)-Americas. Also recognized at the event were former Nigerian first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, as well as renowned author and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo.
Upon receiving the award, Governor Diri expressed his gratitude to the organizers for upholding Ijaw tradition and culture even in the diaspora. He urged them not to let the flame of Ijaw nationalism die out and emphasized the importance of maintaining the annual convention. Furthermore, he assured the organizers of his administration’s support.
Diri stated, “This annual convention offers an opportunity for Ijaws in the diaspora to continue to associate with themselves. I urge the INC in the Americas not to allow the Ijaw fire to be put out. My administration will support you to sustain the Ijaw culture and tradition here in the Americas.”
Governor Diri also urged the Ijaw ethnic group not to grow weary of its leadership role in the Niger Delta, while calling for the support of other ethnic groups in the region. He explained, “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 galvanizing support from our neighbors and brothers in the region.”
Diri asserted that the Niger Delta should be in a better state if it were allowed to utilize its resources for development. Looking at the situation from his current visit to the United States, he expressed his thoughts on how Bayelsa would be if true federalism was practiced, stating, “Maybe we would have had one small Houston in Yenagoa.”
The governor argued that it was unjust to label Bayelsa as insolvent and unable to exist without monthly federal allocation, while its resources were being taken to Abuja and shared among other states in the country. He emphasized the unfairness of the current system, stating, “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 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.”
Diri added, “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.”
Prominent individuals, including President of the INC, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, former President Chief Joshua Fumudoh, Chairman of INC-Americas Mr. Kenneth Anga, and former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, among others, were present at the well-attended ceremony.
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