A coalition of nine militant groups, under the auspices of Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to attend to the demand of the South-South governors and leaders.
The group on Thursday said the demand for restructuring and true federalism should be on hold until governors in the region start releasing 13 per cent derivation fund directly to the oil-producing communities.
The militants accused the governors of mismanagement of N50 trillion derivation fund they had so far received from the federal government.
The group, in a statement released by one self proclaimed “Major General” Johnmark Ezonebi, aka Obama, the Commanding Officer of RNDA, said that the seven-point demand by the leaders and governors of the South-South at this time has ‘political undertone.’
The statement reads:“RNDA and the nine militant groups vehemently reject and oppose the seven-point demands made by the governors of the South-South region following their meeting with a delegation of the federal government, headed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
“The seven -point demands for restructuring, true federalism, resource control and others at this point in time after the #EndSARS youth protests which now negate 21-day ultimatum by RNDA should not be taken seriously because they lack the moral right to ask for any such seven- point demands.
“If anything, and if at all, the governors should first of all come out openly to give proper account of the over N44.9 to N50 trillion that these South -South governors have collected from the federal government as 13 percent derivation fund through the Federation Accounts all these years without any tangible meaningful people -oriented human capital development to address the sufferings of the people of the oil rich region.
“This is why the oil and gas producing communities’ demand that the federal government should stop, henceforth, paying the 13 percent derivation fund to governors. The governors are owing debts to the tune of over N2 trillion. Records from the Debt Management Office shows the South-South states alone is indebted to the tune of N1.4 trillion,” the statement concluded.
