The governor of Imo state, Hope Uzodimma, has requested that the federal government create a special fund to recompense the south-east for the loss of lives and property during the civil war.
Uzodinma said the special fund would provide assistance to people who lost their properties and family members during the civil war when he declared open a zonal public hearing on the review of the revenue allocation sharing formula on Wednesday, October 13 in Owerri, Imo state capital.
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission hosted the event (RMAFC).
He stated,
“I think the debacles of the civil war led the south-east into a deep poverty level; houses were burnt down, people were killed,” Uzodinma said.
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“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.”
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The governor said the south-east 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 said Imo currently has seven oil-producing companies but 43 oil wells were “wrongfully” allocated to Rivers.
According to Uzodinma, 25 percent of Bonny’s gas output is piped from Imo, but the revenue does not go to the state, “while pollution threatens the lives and assets of the residents of the area.”
“It should not just be about multi-billion-dollar pipeline projects that siphon oil and gas from the state which results to youth restiveness, quantum violence and subsequent deaths,” the governor said.
“I think that God did not make mistake endowing Imo with natural resources.”
