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The Governors of Ekiti and Rivers states, Ayodele Fayose and Nyesom Wike have called on the Federal Government to immediately release their share of the $1 billion earlier approved by state governors to be withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account to assist the war against the insurgency. Recall that last week at the National Executive Council meeting, state governors Okayed the withdrawal to prosecute the campaign against the insurgency.

Speaking on the development, Wike said the Niger Delta region more than any other place deserves the share of the funds to tackle decades of environmental terrorism unleashed on the region by sustained exploration of oil. He explained that there would be no ECA without the Niger Delta and urged the Federal Government to prioritize the region when it comes to the disbursement of the funds.


According to him, “there should be balance in the way the Federal Government handles issues affecting different parts of the country. We are not saying that the Federal Government should not tackle Boko Haram. But as they tackle Boko Haram with $1 billion, they must remember that the environmental challenge facing the Niger Delta is the major security challenge. If something happens or there is a crisis in the Niger Delta, there will be no excess crude for anyone to draw from.”


Similarly, his Ekiti state counterpart said the withdrawal was suspicious more so that the government had severally claimed to have defeated Boko Haram. Fayose who made his position known in series of tweets called on the government to release his state's share of the fund.


“Nigerians deserve proper explanations from the Federal Government on the rationale behind spending such a huge sum of money to fight an already defeated Boko Haram. Just read FG’s new position on the $1bn (N367bn) ECA fund that it is not only to fight Boko Haram but for security issues in all the states. Most importantly, Ekiti wants its own share”

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