Nigerian governors have expressed concern over the revenue accruing to the states from the federation account.
The revenue, the governors say, do not reflect the “increase in prices as well as production capacity of oil” in the country.
The governors, under the aegis of South-East/South-South Governors Forum, therefore urged the federal government “to ensure improved revenue allocation to the states to reflect the current realities to enable the states meet the yearnings and expectations of their people.”
The governors’ position is contained in a communique they issued after their meeting on Sunday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Seven governors and two deputy governors attended the meeting.
Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; Rochas Okorocha of Imo State; Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; and Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa were among the governors who attended the meeting.
Others are Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu; and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia.
Ivara Esu and Nkem Okeke, both deputy governors, represented the governors of Cross River and Anambra states respectively.
The meeting, which was chaired by the Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, restated the demand previously made by the governors that the federal government should hands off federal roads in the states for the state government to take up the responsibility of their rehabilitation.
“Worried about the abysmal state of road infrastructure in the zones, The forum proposed that the federal government relinquishes all ‘federal’ roads to states where such roads are located and facilitate legislation that would ease concession of the roads,” the governors said in the communique.
