Gov Diri: 13% is Deprivation, Give Oil-producing States 30% Derivation Fund

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State on Saturday advocated increment in the derivation fund for crude oil producing states from13 percent to 30 percent, insisting that 13 percent is deprivation.
Senator Diri stated this while commissioning the Onuebum-Otuoke Road in Ogbia Local Government Area and Legislator’s Quarters (New Yenagoa City G.R.A) in Yenagoa Local Government Area as part of activities to mark his 5th anniversary in office.

He maintained that 13 percent is a deprivation than blessing to the people of the Niger Delta region, noting it represented 85 percent deprivation to the region and therefore demanded that federal government should extend the 60 or 30 per cent sharing formular being proposed in the National Assembly on Value Added Tax (VAT).

According to him, over the years, the only excuse the state has for development is the difficulty of the terrain.
His words: “They say the terrain is too difficult to develop but in the same terrain, God put oil and gas under the soil. God knew the terrain would be too difficult to develop, so he put abundant resources under our soil.
“But the federal government decided to take the resources while claiming that the land belongs to us but the resources belong to the federal government. Under that injustice, they are giving us 13 per cent of 100 per cent.”
Inaugurating the Onuebum-Otuoke road project, Governor Caleb Mutwang of Plateau State said he was impressed by the pace of development in Bayelsa and also backed calls for increase of the derivation funds to oil-producing states and practice of fiscal federalism.

The Plateau governor said he started coming to Bayelsa State in 1993 when he got married to his wife who hails from the state and noted the project would open up the area for further development.
He announced a donation of N15 million to the Onuebum and Otuoke communities as well as students at the Federal University, Otuoke.

Earlier, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Moses Teibowei, explained that the Onuebum-Otuoke road which is a single carriageway measuring approximately 6.5km with six culverts, a sand-filling height of approximately 2 metres and a width of 7.3 metres.

He said it was awarded in February 2023 after it was damaged during the 2022 floods, and constructed in fulfillment of the governor’s campaign promise to improve connectivity across communities.
The Otuoke and Onuebum communities in an address presented by Chief Elliot Osomu, expressed gratitude to the Governor Diri-led administration for constructing the road, requested more projects and provision of electricity to the area