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Reject seven-point demand by South-South govs until release of 13% derivation, Niger Delta militants tell Buhari

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After closed-door meeting with Buhari, N’Delta Minister begs Avengers for patience

President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to stay action on the seven-point demand made by South-South governors and leaders, including restructuring and true federalism, until governors in the region start releasing 13 per cent derivation fund directly to the oil-producing communities.

The call was made on Thursday by a coalition of nine militant groups, under the auspices of Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) which also asked the governors to account for about N50 trillion derivation fund they had so far received from the federal government.

In a statement issued by self-professed “Major General” Johnmark Ezonebi, aka Obama, the Commanding Officer of RNDA, the militants said that the seven-point demand by the leaders and governors of the South-South at this time has ‘political undertone.’

READ ALSO: Ex-Niger Delta militants petition Buhari over unpaid allowances

The statement reads thus in full; “RNDA and the nine militant groups vehemently reject and oppose the seven-point demands made by the governors of the South-South region following their meeting with a delegation of the federal government, headed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, at Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“The seven -point demands for restructuring, true federalism, resource control and others at this point in time after the #EndSARS youth protests which now negate 21-day ultimatum by RNDA should not be taken seriously because they lack the moral right to ask for any such seven- point demands.

“If anything, and if at all, the governors should first of all come out openly to give proper account of the over N44.9 to N50 trillion that these South -South governors have collected from the federal government as 13 percent derivation fund through the Federation Accounts all these years without any tangible meaningful people -oriented human capital development to address the sufferings of the people of the oil rich region.

“This is why the oil and gas producing communities’ demand that the federal government should stop, henceforth, paying the 13 percent derivation fund to governors. The governors are owing debts to the tune of over N2 trillion. Records from the Debt Management Office shows the South-South states alone is indebted to the tune of N1.4 trillion,” the statement concluded.

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