Civil War: Gov Uzodinma Tasks FG To Compensate Southeast With Special Fund

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Thursday, October 14th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, has enjoined the Federal Government to establish a special fund for the southeast to compensate the region over the losses incurred during the civil war.

Uzodinma disclosed this in Owerri in a public hearing on the review of the revenue allocation sharing formula organised by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

He stated that the 30 month civil war left the southeast in a state of penury saying that the region needed a development commission like the one created for the northeast because of Boko Haram insurgency in the zone.

He stated that if the special fund is created, it would relieve those who lost their properties and family members during the civil war.

He said: “I think the debacles of the civil war led the south-east into a deep poverty level; houses were burnt down, people were killed.

“Only recently, a special law was enacted as the North-East Development Commission, arising from the disaster of Boko Haram incidents. But the 30-month civil war that ended in 1970 left the south-east in a state of penury.”

Uzodunma also lamented about the ‘obsolete’ revenue allocation formula, adding that it was last reviewed in 1992.

He stated that that the southeast has suffered great injustice on how revenues accruing from the zone are shared.

“Today, as it stands, the federal government takes home 52.68 per cent, state governments, 26.72 per cent, while the 774 local government areas take home 20.60 per cent,” he said.

He disclosed that Imo presently has seven oil-producing companies but 43 oil wells were “wrongfully” allocated to Rivers state.