Federal government must pay Niger state 13% derivation like Niger Delta or we shut down Kanji dam & electricity –Governor Bago
Niger state governor Bago has threatened to shutdown Kanji dam and plunge the country into darkness if federal government does not pay the state 13% derivation fund just like it’s doing to Niger Delta states.
Currently, oil-rich states benefit from 13 percent derivation. According to the governor, the federal government should extend the payment of such 13 percent derivation fund enjoyed by oil-rich states to Niger State or be forced to do so by shutting down hydro dams.
According to DailyNigerian, the governor made the demand when he received the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, Tijani Aliyu, in Minna on Monday.
According to him, the state deserves to be paid about N1 trillion in compensation for the hydrocarbon exchange being consumed from the state to the Delta region.
“We need 13 percent derivation for water supplied to the Delta,” he 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 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.
“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.”
