SAN FRANCISCO, December 17, (THEWILL) –Â Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has called on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, release funds for tackling of issues of environmental degradation and security in the Niger Delta.
He made the call as he spoke during the Annual General Meeting of Okpo Club of Nigeria (Association of Ikwerre Lawyers), weekend, in Port Harcourt saying the Niger-Delta deserves the fund.
He declared that while he will not condemn the release of a whopping $1 billion to tackle Boko Haram, he insisted that the environmental and security challenges in the Niger Delta far outweigh the Boko Haram conflict.
Wike urged the Federal Government to release the derivation component of the Excess Crude to the oil producing states of the Niger Delta.
“Niger Delta environmental problems are as serious as the Boko Haram insurgency,” he said.
“I am not saying that you should not fight Boko Haram.
“If you can get funds from the National Pool to tackle Boko Haram, then you should go to the pool to get funds to fight environmental problems in Ogoni and other Niger Delta communities.”
