Former presidential aide to Muhammadu Buhari, Obol Okoi
Obono-Obla, has described the allocation of N16 billion by the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC) for capital projects in 2023/2024 as inadequate,
unjust and unfair to Cross River State.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, Obono-Obla, a
chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stated that such an
allocation was unconstitutional and should not be accepted.
In its publication, the NDDC, which comprises nine states,
including Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and
Rivers States, declared the allocation for projects under their Appropriation
Act 2023.
Obono-Obla questioned, “What gives the NDDC the audacity to insult the people of Cross River State with reckless abandon and ignominy, whereas every state enumerated is equal to each other and must be treated equally without any shade or iota of discrimination?”
He stated that, “The argument that the makers of the Budget
or Appropriation Act premised their decision to allocate only N16 billion to
Cross River State (out of N900 billion) because the State does not contribute
anything to oil production is therefore wicked, illegal, wrongful, twisted,
untenable, malicious, balderdash, and perverse. There is nothing under the NDDC
Act to support such an argument.”
According to him, the management of the NDDC cannot input or
impose something that is not contemplated by the NDDC Act.
He added that it is unconstitutional because the Nigerian
Constitution prohibits any form of discrimination against any person or group
of persons or entities under any guise and ramifications.
He further argued that the 13% derivation principle has no
bearing on the sharing template developed by the NDDC management, making the
appropriation unconstitutional.
Obono-Obla criticised those attempting to justify what he
describes as flagrant injustice, glaring imbalance, and lopsidedness in the
politics of resource distribution among the members of the NDDC state.
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