Home BUSINESS OIL & GAS Gov. Okowa To Avengers: Pipeline Vandalisation Will Hurt Delta More Than FG

Gov. Okowa To Avengers: Pipeline Vandalisation Will Hurt Delta More Than FG

Okowa of Delta stateGovernor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has reminded the rampaging Niger Delta Avengers that the continued bombing of oil installations will hurt the rgion more that the federal government they are aggrieved with.

Okowa, who spoke during his maiden audience participatory on the Delta Television and Radio Asaba, said that the attacks on pipelines had greatly depleted the state’s monthly revenue from both the federation account and internal sources.

He said that the 13 per cent Derivation Fund accruals were equally affected by the reduction in crude oil production owing to the resurgence activities of the militants as more than 250, 000 barrels of oil per day was being lost or shut in.

He therefore appealed to the people to prevail on those behind the attacks to desist from the act and embrace the option of dialogue as the state was the worse for it when the quantum of oil produced form Delta is drastically reduced.

“The last monthly allocation to Delta State was just N3billion (three billion naira) whereas the state has a monthly wage bill of N7.5 billion. Where are we going to source the shortfall from?”

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The governor said that all the people particularly in the waterside areas and creeks should prevail on their children and youths to give peace a chance and cooperate with the government’s effort to negotiate a restoration of peace especially in the oil producing areas of the state.

He said that the high-powered Advocacy Committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro has been visiting different communities in the state government’s efforts to restore peace and ensure security in the state and the Niger Delta as a whole.

He noted that Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) had moved out of the state blaming it on security concerns in Warri area, noting that relocation by Shell meant a huge revenue loss to Delta in terms of tax or royalties as well as loss of jobs for numerous local hands. [myad]

 

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