Laleye Dipo in Minna
Niger State Government is set for war with the federal government over claims for 13 per cent derivation by the state because of the three hydroelectric dams – Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro on its soil.
The fourth dam at Zungeru is under construction
The government is claiming over N1 trillion in accumulated taxes from the three dams, which should have been paid to the state over the years.
A former governor of the state, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, had made similar demands but the request was later abandoned.
However incumbent governor, Mohammed Bago, speaking in Minna, said he would drag the federal government to the Supreme Court to ensure the payment of the amount. He did not say how the debt was calculated.
Speaking when he received the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, Alhaji Tijani Aliyu, in Minna, Bago insisted that the 13 per cent derivation must be paid to the state, just like the oil producing states in the country.
He declared, “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.”
He added, “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 N1 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.”
Bago said the state had now “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.”
The governor added that the state will no longer be marginalised.
“Our waters, our lands, our borders are strengths for us and not weaknesses,” he stressed.
The governor further declared, “We demand compensation for our people. Everything, every resource that comes from Niger State must be compensated. We will not tolerate this anymore.”
He disclosed that the state would establish a commission for refugees with N500 million as its take-off grant, in addition to releasing not less than 13,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains from the State Strategic Grains Reserves for distribution to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the state.
The federal commissioner disclosed that he was in the state to distribute food items to IDPs, saying 700 households from the various camps would benefit from the gesture
Aliyu said from the commission’s findings, there were not less than 64,000 IDPs at various camps in the state
Items distributed included 572 bags each of rice and maize as well as 572 cartons of Spaghetti, 572 bags of Semovita, 144 bags of gari, 96 cartons of vegetable oil, 91 cartons of seasoning, and 58 bags of salt.
