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Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago, has demanded the payment of a 13% derivation from the Federal Government to his state as compensation for the water supplied to states in the Niger Delta and hydrocarbon exchange.
Bago made the argument when he received the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, Tijani Aliyu, in Minna, Niger capital, on Monday, November 6, 2023.
Currently, nine oil-producing states draw a monthly 13% derivation from the federal coffers. The amount is a statutory allocation enshrined in section 162, sub-section 2 of the Nigerian Constitution.
Meanwhile, Governor Bago believed the Federal Government should extend the same privilege to Niger State for its aquatic contributions to states in the Niger Delta. He also demanded ₦1 trillion in compensation for the hydrocarbon exchange being consumed from the state to the Delta region.
“We need 13 per cent derivation for water supplied to the Delta,” Bago said.
“Our people are ravaged and displaced year in, year out because of the flow of water from the Niger to the Delta. The Federal Government will pay Niger State ₦1 trillion in the next three months for hydrocarbon exchange, they must.
“We have provided this country with hydropower for a long time; nobody is compensating us for it.
“Abuja Electricity Distribution Company [AEDC] must pay us, they have consumed from Niger state hydrocarbon exchange, and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation [NNPC] must pay us," the governor stressed.
He further noted that the state has finally woken up from its slumber and would no longer be content with being overlooked, threatening that he won't hesitate to shut down the hydro dams if the Federal Government fails to accede to the demands.
"We have woken up, we can never ever tolerate being neglected or abandoned again. The only way we can ensure that the federal government heeds to us is to shut down the hydro dams unless we are paid.
“We are serious about this; it is not a threat; it is a statement. Every dime that is due to us, we will take it, we will take every kobo that is for Niger state.
“We are not going to be marginalised again; our waters, our lands our borders are strengths for us and not weaknesses.
“We demand compensation for our people. Everything, every resource that comes from Niger State must be compensated. We will not tolerate this anymore.
“We are going to the Supreme Court, and we will take the Federal Government to the Supreme Court unless the 13 per cent derivation from our land, water, air, grass, and everything given to us is paid. We must be compensated. Our people have done enough for Nigeria,” Bago added.