COMPENSATE SOUTH EAST VICTIMS OF NIGERIA/BIAFRA CIVIL WAR— GOV UZODIMMA BEGS FG

REPORTER: UCHE OBI

The Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has called for the creation of a special fund to compensate victims of Nigeria-Biafra civil war in the South East.

Governor Uzodimma stated this while declaring open the zonal public hearing on the review of the current revenue allocation formula for the South East zone.

He noted that the North East Development Commission had been created for victims of insurgency and there was the need to compensate people of South East, especially those who lost their loved ones during the civil war.

Governor Uzodinma expressed regret that the people of South East had suffered injustice in the revenue allocation in the country and urged the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to look into the yearnings  of the people.

He observed that the present Allocation Formula was over due for review as it was last reviewed in 1992 .

The Governor, who explained that most of the Oil Wells in imo State were allocated to Rivers State thereby depriving the state of the allocation from the areas, urged the commission to look into the submission.

He acknowledged that the state is blessed with  natural resources, including crude oil and gas, but the people were not benefiting from it and this had led to youth restiveness and unemployment.

The Governor called for creation of petroleum chemical plant and compensation of the people for constructing the Sam Mbakwe Airport, which was done through community effort.

Earlier, the Chairman Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Mr. Elias Mbam, said the Commission had commenced the process of reviewing the existing vertical Revenue Allocation Formula.

He said the review was in pursuant of it’s constitutional mandate that empowers it to review from time to time the revenue formula and principles in operation to ensure conformity with the changing realities.

Mr. Mbam explained that to ensure wide coverage of participation from Nigerians, the commission invited memoranda from the stakeholders both in print and electronic media.

He promised that the  commission would take serious considerations to all views and recommendations that would emanate from the public hearing.

Representatives from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States equally made submission to review the royalties from natural resources and the revenue formula to meet current economic realities.

Under the present sharing arrangement, the federal government takes 52.68% of the revenue shared, states gets 26.72% while local government areas get 20.60%.