‘Strange’ $1b in Excess Crude Account

“STRANGE” $1 billion payment into the Excess Crude Account has boosted states’ revenue.

The meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), which was held yesterday in Abuja – nine months after the last one – would have been put off if the Federal Government had not made the lodgment, a source said.

According to a governor who attended the meeting, the aggrieved governors who have questioned the failure to convene the meeting, resolved not to demand for the source of the “strange payment”.

The NEC, which is chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo and other members of the President’s economic team, meets monthly to deliberate on the economy.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi-led Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) had accused the President Goodluck Jonathan administration of deliberately stalling the meeting to prevent a discussion of the allegation that over $20bn had not been remitted to the Federation Account by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Governors said also that the breach gravely affected revenue accruing to the states in the nine months when the meeting was never convened.

But yesterday, one of the governors at the meeting told our correspondent that it was needless to be adversarial in asking the Federal Government the source of the payment as this could lead to further crisis. The Governors’ Forum has been split into two factions, with Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang holding sway in the other faction.

The governor said: “We were surprised to see the $1billion credited to the ECA, which has accordingly boosted our monthly allocations but the source of the money has not been indicated.

“We decided to attend the NEC meeting so as to know how the money came about and to know why our monthly revenue has been declining steadily over a period of nine months.”

Another governor said: “Whatever happens, we are happy that our monthly revenue allocations has been slightly raised even though the Federal Government has not bothered to tell us why our allocations were slashed for nine months and where it is suddenly raising money to beef up our allocations. Even the commissioners of finance in the states agree to this logic because many projects have been stalled in the past nine months due to the failure of Abuja to summon the meeting.

“If they claim money is not being kept away from the federation account, where did they suddenly get the $1billion into the ECA; we just want an answer.”

The Federal Government yesterday identified 17 flashpoints where cattle rearers are confronting farmers.

Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio told reporters at the end of the NEC meeting that the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki briefed the council on the discovery.

Akpabio, who was accompanied by Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam and Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, said the NSA assured the Council that steps were being taken to stop the crisis in the identified states.

Akpabio said: “Council also discussed the issues pertaining to the current conflicts between the farmers and the pastoralists across the entire country. We received presentations  from the NSA on the incessant conflicts being experienced across Nigeria, especially the one of sacking so many villages by criminals in Benue State and other adjoining states in the north.

“According to the NSA presentation, 17 states have been identified as flash points. Of course such states include Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Bauchi, Niger , Nasarawa, Kwara, Kaduna and Oyo. We also reported issues bordering on the conflicts in the southern parts of the country like Edo, Akwa  Ibom, and Cross Rivers, particularly in the Ogoja area.

“The NSA reported to Council the efforts been made by his office to involve international agencies on the issues, one of which is that it will invite all stakeholders to an international conference to deliberate adding that the agency based in Geneva, Switzerland, is working out the modalities to involve communities in the affected states to find means of settling the conflicts in Plateau and that will now be used as a pilot programme across the entire country.”

“At the end, the Council resolved that a Committee on grazing reserves headed by Governor Murtala Nyako (Adamawa State) had earlier been set up and had been working to provide solutions to the problem. So, Council recommended Governor Suswam should join that committee as co-chair in order to ensure that at least during the next Council meeting, a report on it is presented to Council.”

He also said the Council also resolved to set up a technical committee to come up with recommendations to resolve the conflict between the farmers and the pastoralists.

The committee, which is to meet with all stakeholders within two weeks, he said, include the Minister of Agriculture as chairman. Members are Ministers of Environment, Science and Technology, Interior, Water Resources, National Planning, the NSA, the DG National Orientation Agency and at least a representative from each state of the Federation.

According to him, the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okoko-Iweala, also briefed the council and disclosed that as at today, the Excess Crude Account (ECA) has risen to about $3.5 billion after payment for fuel subsidy and SURE-P.

He said: “The Council deliberated on it and resolved that there was need for expeditious action to be taken to sort out all the legalities surrounding the issues of the ECA and particularly, the idea of expediting action on the issues pending in court. It was also further suggested that at least two separate accounts be maintained for excess crude and for SURE-P.”

Suswam said: “Comprehensive discussion was made in the council and the Governors of Delta and Edo states said people came into their states in trucks without cattle. Cattle grazers move around with cattle but these insurgents now come to town in their large numbers and in trailer loads.

“The Governor of Kogi also confirmed that they have condoned an area because these people came in four trucks. They have asked security to condone it off. It is actually a cause for concern because mercenaries have taken over, what is happening is that this is beyond the Fulani that we know and who are part of us.”

He added: “These are different crops of people either parading as Fulani or people who are Fulani from displaced areas because they are heavily armed. The Fulani around us here are never heavily armed. Even their women carry AK 47. So these are not the regular Fulani we are used to who are within are country. These are people moving into our country with a mission we are yet to know. But the NSA assured us that serious actions are being taken to address and contain these people who are moving into Nigeria from destinations that we do not even know.”

On the way forward, he said: “We also agreed that we will speak to the Vice President to seek the leave of Mr. President for us to immediately call for a security council meeting inclusive of governors with relevant heads of security agencies. That meeting we expect to take place in the shortest possible time where several approach will be taken and the strategy of how we can resolv it be suggested by individual governors in their various states.”

Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang  raised the alarm that if the crisis is not resolved on time and farmers allowed to do their work, there would be food shortage in the country. (0)

‘Strange’ $1b in Excess Crude Account