Uduaghan demands 50 percent oil derivation revenue for Niger Delta states

Delta State governor Emmanuel Oduaghan

The Delta State governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan has called on the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission to design fresh ways of addressing the problems associated with the impact of oil exploration, which has become a challenge in states in the Niger Delta Region.

Mr Uduaghan made this call during the Zonal Advocacy Workshop on Economic Diversification and Enhanced Revenue Generation (South-South Zone) held in Asaba.

He said his administration has mapped out strategies to build a state beyond oil explaining that he was already using oil revenue to develop other sectors of the economy.

The governor specifically demanded for 50 percent oil derivation revenue which he explained will be used to heal the wounds inflicted on the environment of the Niger Delta region.

The two-day advocacy workshop was attended by delegates and stakeholders drawn from the South-South region.

The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC), Elias Mbam said the aim of the workshop was to map out strategies on how to diversify the nation’s economy so that the actualization of the vision 20.2020 will be guaranteed.

Mr Mbam promised that the commission was committed to the campaign and expressed the hope that in the long run, the revenue profile of the nation will increase.

In his goodwill message, the deputy governor of Edo state, Pius Odubu advocated for the development of the agricultural sector as an alternative source of revenue in the Niger Delta zones, adding that the regions should pay more attention to the solid mineral deposits in the region.

The Governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio called on the Commission to look critically on oil exploration and compensate the Niger Delta region, since the issue of onshore/offshore dichotomy has been settled by the National Assembly and the Judiciary.

The on-going Zonal Advocacy Workshop on Economic Diversification and Enhanced Revenue Generation (South-South Zone) holding in Government House, Asaba has therefore been given a task on the need to draw-up modalities for effective diversification of the nation’s economy.