Leaders of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, have demanded an upward review of the derivation allocation to oil-producing states, calling for an increase from the current 13 percent to 50 percent.
In a communiqué issued on Tuesday after meetings of its Board of Trustees, BoT, and National Executive Committee, NEC, held in Abuja and virtually, PANDEF stressed that the 13 percent allocation, enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, has remained stagnant for over two decades.
The forum noted that this stagnation persists despite the environmental and developmental burdens borne by Niger Delta communities.
The communiqué was read by the national chairman, Godknows Igali, a former Nigerian ambassador to Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
The forum argued that the increase is necessary to tackle “longstanding developmental deficits, environmental damage, health hazards and socio-economic consequences of oil and gas exploration and production.”
PANDEF also called for the abolition of the onshore/offshore dichotomy in revenue allocation, noting that offshore petroleum activities devastate marine ecosystems and fishing grounds vital to coastal livelihoods.
It urged the federal government, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, and the National Assembly to urgently resolve the matter through legislative and constitutional measures.
Reaffirming its commitment to environmental protection, PANDEF lamented that Niger Delta communities continue to suffer pollution after six decades of oil exploration.
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It identified Nembe Creek in Bayelsa, Odidi in Delta, and Kula in Rivers as areas requiring urgent intervention.
The forum demanded adequate and transparent funding of the Ogoni clean-up programme and called for a framework to replicate remediation across the wider region.
On infrastructure, PANDEF described the accelerated completion of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway as “non-negotiable,” saying the project would improve connectivity, stimulate trade and investment, and unlock opportunities in the blue and marine economy.
It welcomed the federal government’s decision to retain the highway’s original alignment as a distinct strategic project, recalling its historical role in national development discussions even before independence.
PANDEF announced plans to set up a high-level technical committee to assist the federal ministry of works in advancing the project.
It also urged the establishment of a north-south rail connection to link the Niger Delta with the rest of Nigeria.
The meeting was attended in person by Victor Attah, former governor of Akwa Ibom and PANDEF board chairman, and Kanu Agabi, former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice.
Other participants, including former governors, ministers, traditional rulers, political leaders and stakeholders from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers states, joined virtually.
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