Members of the Ijaw caucus at the House of Representatives have come up strongly against what they termed the antics of Akwa Ibom State to deny Ijaws in the state of what rightly belonged to them in terms of the 13% derivation in oil revenue accruing to them.
Briefing newsmen n Abuja,, the spokes person of the group Mr Awaji-Inombek Abiante alleged that the remarking of local government boundaries along Ijaw dominated coastal areas of Akwa Ibom State, embarked upon by the government at the tail end of its tenure was a glaring ploy to ease Ijaws there out of their ancestral land, thereby denying them of the derivation benefits.
The group through its spokes person noted that the major revenue accruing to Akwa Ibom comes from off-shore drilling activities off its coast, making the Ijaws there beneficiaries of the derivation fund.
The group further noted that the petition on the matter on Wednesday on the floor of the House of represents the cries of the Ijaws in the affected local governments boundaries adjustment in Akwa Ibom State.
The group’s Spokesman said necessary litigation process had commenced in the law court and warned the Akwa Ibom State government to put a stop to the affected local government boundary adjustment.
COV/IBRAHIM SHEHU
