Douye Diri, the governor of Bayelsa State, has called for a review of the 13 percent derivation formula, saying the current percentage does not reflect the sufferings of the Niger Delta people and the damage done to the region’s environment.
He made the call on Sunday, June 7, 2020, during an online conference themed, ‘The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Aquatic Flora and Fauna of the Niger Delta,’ to mark this year’s World Environment Day.
The conference, which was hosted by the Bayelsa State Ministry of the Environment, had discussed simultaneously in Yenagoa, Benin, and Abuja.
Diri, who was represented by the deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said, “When other countries were recording a reduction in oil activities, greenhouse emission, pollution and gas flaring, the reverse was the case in Bayelsa State as it recorded the death of lots of fishes during this coronavirus period in Akassa, Koluama, Agge as well as in other states in the region.”
Diri said the people of the region had been shortchanged from the proceeds of their rich and vast resources not only by the Federal Government but also by oil firms.
Source: Daily Trust
