Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, has appealed to the President-Elect, Muhammadu Buhari to allocate 13 per cent of petroleum revenue to the North-East region.
The governor made the demand in his paper presentation at Day-Two of a conference organised by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD). He asserted that the current insurgency was the direct outcome of the inequality in oil revenue distribution.
The governor, at the conference themed, ‘Post-2015 Elections Conference on Security and Governance Challenges in Africa’s Largest Democracy’, urged the incoming All Progressive Congress (APC) government to immediately recommend the allocation of at least 13 % of revenue derived from petroleum resources in addition to the usual monthly allocation to the states in north eastern Nigeria to ameliorate their condition due to the Boko Haram insurgency..
The paper entitled ‘Holistic Approach for the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of the North East Nigeria Region Ravaged by Terrorism and Insurgency: The National and International Policy Options/Perspectives’, was delivered by his representative and secretary, Borno Elders Forum, Dr Bulama Mala Gubio.
Shettima, who expressed regrets that the petroleum deposit in the North East had been left untapped, also called for the establishment of a special intervention programme to salvage the region from socioeconomic deprivation on one hand and environmental degradation on the other hand, which, he said, would lead to desertification and drought with their consequent imbalance in ecological dynamics.
“Importantly, it is necessary for the federal government to recommend the allocation of at least 13 % of revenue derived from petroleum resources in addition to the usual monthly allocation to states in north eastern Nigeria in order to improve equity in the share of resources.
“Moreover, there is untapped petroleum in the North East. This will go a long way in improving national security, since inequality in the allocation of resources is one of the most significant factors in the current raging insurgency affecting the region and threatening to engulf the outside world.
“Therefore, we are calling for the establishment of a special intervention programme to salvage the region from socio-economic deprivation on one hand and environmental degradation on the other hand which leads to desertification and droughts with the consequent imbalance in ecological dynamics.
“It is our firm belief that this will go a long way to address the current socio-economic upheavals experienced in the region,” he noted.
Shettima said the North East region, particularly Borno State, requires urgent attention due to its environmental and humanitarian crises.
He also called on the SCDDD to highlight the plights of states in the region to the world with a view to eliciting assistance.
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