The Federal Government on Wednesday continued its pressure on state governors to render account on the money they collect, this time, focusing on Ecological Funds.
Recall that last week, President Muhammadu Buhari had alleged that the state chief executives of pilfering money belonging to local governments while the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, had also accused them of aggravating poverty through misplaced priorities.
Appearing at the eighth edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari Scorecard media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, who is the latest to pile pressure, stressed the need for the governors to account for the billions of naira they have collected on behalf of their states over the years.
Responding to reports suggesting that state governors were accusing the federal government over the deployment of the Ecological Funds following a recent flood disaster in the country, he said any criticism directed at the central government is misplaced, accusing governors of shying away from blame.
However, he commended Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and others who he said have spoken up on monies received by their states.
The Minister said: “Federal government is accused by states. It is normal. It’s the nature of the kind of Constitutional arrangement we have where we have the subnational shying away from blame.
“You and I know that each state…when the states argued…initially, the federal government handled Ecological Funds but the states argued that they must be given their own share of the Ecological Funds and the federal government accepted. And at every FAAC allocation, they give their own share of the allocation to the states.
“So, to come out and accuse the federal government of inaction is very unfair having gotten a fair share of your Ecological Funds over the years.
“So, I find that very amusing because each state is paid its share of the Ecological Fund.
“But in spite of that, from the share of federal government allocation of Ecological Fund, the federal government still intervenes in states.
“So, I think the question should be more to the states – what are you doing with your share of the Ecological Funds? Not the federal government.
“The federal government has been overstretched by the states and they have done their best to support the states.
“Two, because the flood is a national emergency, I’m aware that the federal government has directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to interfere and they are giving a lot of support, which is outside my purview as the Minister of Environment. But I know that the federal government is giving such much support to states.
“Sometimes, we have to thank governors like Wike who come out to say, ‘look, we’ve been given this amount of money,” while other states are quiet.”
The Minister revealed that the Ministry of Environment has paid the sum of N8.6 billion into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) as it firmed up its internally generated revenue strategy.
He said the Ministry actively collaborated with the private sector to create a large number of well-paying jobs for Nigerian youths.
“The Ministry has been able to create 85,848 direct and indirect jobs through the implementation of various citizens-oriented projects and programs,” he said, adding that it also implemented a strategy towards the realization of the President’s June 12 promise to take 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.
On the ongoing implementation of the Ogoni Clean-up, he explained that the Ministry, conscious of the need to ensure effective and timely implementation of the UNEP report on the exercise and in line with President Buhari’s commitment, has remediated 21 sites covering about 230 hectares out of the 65 sites reported in the UNEP report fact sheet.
Assessed he said, were an additional 213 grids consisting of 200x200m2 per grid of shorelines which will pave way for the actual Clean-up and remediation of 635 hectares of contaminated Shorelines, and planting of mangrove seedlings/propagules of cleaned-up shorelines area.
Other achievements he said are the construction of six water supply schemes with a capacity of supplying 2400m3 of potable water per day to communities across the four local government areas of Ogoniland including Eleme (Agbonchia, Alode, Aleto, Alesa and Ogale), awarded for a total sum of 802,411,890.74; Eleme (Ejama, Agbeta, Obolo, Agbi, Egbangbala and Nsisioken) awarded for a total sum of N1,074,669,221.65.
Gokana (Bera, Mogho, Gbe, Kpor, Lewe, Nweol, Biara, Terrabor, Giokooh) was awarded a total sum of N1,036,377,615.
Gokana (Barako, B.Dere, and K.Dere) was awarded a total sum of N986,175,020.72.
Tai (Korokoro, Ueken, and Nonwa) was awarded for a total sum of N884,938,419.75.
Khana (Bori and Kpean) was awarded a total sum of N1,263,746,806.88, among others.
Abdullahi said Phase 1 of the scheme is at 85% completion while Phase 2 is currently undergoing the procurement process.
According to him, 400 Ogoni women have been in Agribusiness and Entrepreneurial Skills with 20 Cooperatives already set up by HYPREP and duly registered with Rivers State Ministry of Commerce and Industry Cooperative Unit for the trained women.
On the Great Green Wall Programme, the Minister stated that the Ministry recovered arable land in the northern parts of the country from a baseline of 90 hectares in 2019 to 6,007 hectares as at 2nd quarter of 2022 and increased the number of trees (orchards, woodlots) planted from 1,080,000 to 9,048,900 in 2022.
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