Former federal lawmaker Farah Dagogo has raised concerns about the use of the 13 per cent derivation funds by governors of the nine Niger Delta states, intended for oil-producing communities.
Dagogo, who represented Bonny-Degema Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, voiced his concerns in a statement released by his aide Ibrahim Lawal in Port Harcourt on Monday.
Dagogo expressed alarm over the trillions of naira that have accrued to the Niger Delta region through the 13 per cent derivation over the past 23 years.
He noted that over N600 billion of that sum has already been received in the first half of 2024 alone, but criticized successive governors for failing to improve the welfare of the communities, where poverty and poor living conditions remain widespread.
Despite the Federal Government’s shortcomings, Dagogo acknowledged that it has steadily increased the 13 per cent derivation allocation to the Niger Delta governors.
He highlighted the significant sums released to oil-producing states in the first six months of 2024, totaling over N600 billion.
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Dagogo argued that the lack of effective use of these funds has led to a “subconscious apathy” among the people towards the released amounts.
He lamented that the 13 per cent derivation, meant to address infrastructural decay in oil-producing communities, is often mismanaged and unaccounted for by the governors. Instead of acting as custodians, he claimed, the governors treat the funds as “free money.”
“The 13 per cent derivation is constitutionally required to support the development of oil-producing communities,” Dagogo said. “But more than two decades later, what do we have to show for the enormous sums that have come in?”
“This is a very sad commentary as it relates to the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta. What we have instead are governors trying to impose their stooges to continue that lineage of plundering that fund.
“That’s the result of most in-fighting between former governors and their installed successors. Conduct an investigation into these areas, these oil-producing communities, and you will weep when you gauge their abject living conditions against what has been allocated for them. No electricity, no drinking water, no roads—total lack of basic amenities.”