Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom
Wike, has broken silence on the $1 billion approved to be withdrawn from the
Excess Crude Account by the National Economic Council (NEC) for fighting
insurgency in the North East.
Wike said while he would not
condemn the release of $1 billion to tackle Boko Haram, the environmental and
security challenges in the Niger Delta far outweighed the Boko Haram conflict.
The governor stated this at the
annual general meeting of Okpo Club of Nigeria (Association of Ikwerre Lawyers)
held during the weekend in Port Harcourt.
He declared that the All Progressives
Congress (APC)-led federal government must as a matter of urgency release funds
for tackling issues of environmental degradation and security in the Niger
Delta.
Wike also requested the APC
federal government to release the derivation component of the Excess Crude
Account (ECA) to the oil producing states of the Niger Delta.
He said: “Niger Delta
environmental problems are as serious as the Boko Haram insurgency. I am not
saying that you should not fight Boko Haram.
“If you can get funds from the
national pool to tackle Boko Haram, then you should go to the pool to get funds
to fight environmental problems in Ogoni and other Niger Delta communities.”
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