Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Chibuike Amaechi has said the Federal Government, under President Goodluck Jonathan is not serious about fighting oil theft and funds diversion in the country.
He made the allegation yesterday in Port Harcourt when the British Minister for Africa and member of Parliament, Mark Simmonds, visited him in Government House.
The governor said if the president was serious about fighting oil theft in the country, the Federal Government would not have refused the entry of two surveillance helicopters his government purchased two years ago into the country.
He recalled how his administration procured two surveillance helicopters that would have assisted the Federal Government to fight oil theft, but expressed disappointment over the inability of the government to ensure its arrival to the state.
He said: “I don’t know how much you have seen about oil theft, and I don’t know if the Federal Government is serious about combating oil theft. Why I said this is that for two years now, the Federal Government has refused entry into the country, two surveillance helicopters paid for by the Rivers State Government.
“I suspect the refusal may be for political reasons… The helicopters have been packed in America for two years now, and the Rivers State Government is paying demurrage on them… But, if you see how much oil we are losing, we hear it is about $7 billion annually, then you will see that we need the helicopters.”
Earlier, the British Minister for Africa and Member of Parliament, Marx Simmonds, said he was in Rivers State to see the United Kingdom investments, and to also participate in Nigeria’s centenary celebration holding in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Meanwhile, Governor Amaechi has condemned the suspension of governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, saying it is a breach of the constitution.
The NGF at the end of its meeting held in Abuja from Monday night till Tuesday morning, declared in a communique that the suspension of governor of the apex bank was in clear breach of the Nigerian constitution and the CBN Act 2007.
The governors alleged that the action of the Federal Government was aimed at diverting attention from the current national discourse on the missing $20 billion from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) account, allegations of corruption and questionable accountability.
The forum however backed the call of the Minister of Finance and the Senate Committee on Finance for a forensic audit of NNPC account.
Also, the forum reiterated its concern about alleged refusal of the Presidency to convene the National Economic Council meeting for seven months.
“This has emasculated the constitutional opportunity to discuss the perilous state of the Nigerian economy thus plunging the nation into economic and political crises,” it stated.
On the pending litigation instituted by the NGF, challenging Federal Government’s unilateral withdrawal from the federation account without recourse to states, the forum appealed to the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court to accelerate the hearing on the constitutional cases, especially the case of the excess crude account and the illegal deductions.
The Forum, in the communique, also expressed concerns on the state of killing in the North-East.
“We commend the military and other security agencies in their efforts to quell this.
However, we expect the Federal Government should wake up to its responsibility of protecting lives and property in the country,” the forum stated.
It also condemned alleged plot to impeach the Nasarawa State governor.
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