Like Fayose, Gov Emmanuel kicks against $1bn ECA fund to fight Boko Haram

Akwa Ibom State’s Governor Udom Emmanuel has like his counterpart in Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, opposed the withdrawal of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account by the Federal Government to fight Boko Haram in the North-east.

The National Economic Council (NEC), a body comprising all state governors, had penultimate Thursday given approval for the Federal Government to withdraw $1 billion from the $2.3 billion currently in the Excess Crude Account for the fight against the terrorist Boko Haram group.

That decision has continued to generate a lot of controversies with Ekiti State government being the first to openly disassociate itself with the decision.

The state and its local government chairmen have already dragged the matter to court.

Joining Fayose to kick against the development, Emmanuel in a statement on Friday wondered why the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to demonstrate similar move in the Niger Delta.

The governor then said that there was no way he could have supported that $1 billion should be withdrawn from ECA if he had been present at the meeting where the decision was taken.

He said, “We are not too comfortable with the decision to part with $1bn now. That (kind of money) is supposed to support developments by state governments and local government areas.

“The excess crude money is for the three tiers of the government and because we are supposed to use it to support what we are doing, we need to discuss more.”

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Emmanuel, who is the chairman, South-South Governors’ Forum, noted that most governors from the South-South were not present when the decision was made.

The governor further said, “I am not speaking for anybody, but I am speaking for myself, that as of today, we are being owed almost N140 billion for federal road projects. We have generated electricity and have sold it to the national grid, but we have not been paid for it.

“When we are discussing security, it’s not just one aspect. Let’s look at it in a holistic manner. What actually constitutes security threats to the whole country?”

 

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