- Kogi was also declared as an oil-producing state, but has not been collecting any 13% derivation – Nwoye
- Kogi has been collecting 13% derivation since October 2022 – Jibrin Isah
Senator Tony Nwoye (LP/Anambra North) on Wednesday engaged his Kogi East counterpart, Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho in a heated debate over inclusion of new states in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Nwoye, while leading the debate seeking for amendment of the NDDC Act for inclusion of Anambra State, being an oil producing state, as a member of the development commission.
He argued that Anambra deserved membership of the NDDC since it had been collecting 13% derivation since 2021 on account of appreciable volume of oil production.
The debate degenerated into an altercation between Nwoye and Senator Jibrin Isah (APC/Kogi East).
Senator Jibrin Isah, in his contribution, said that the NDDC by its name, is more of a regional or geographical intervention body and not just for oil-producing states.
He told the apex legislative Assembly that Kogi had also been collecting 13% derivation as an oil-producing state, a claim, Senator Nwoye countered by repeatedly declaring with relevant documents in his hand, that Anambra and not Kogi, had been collecting 13% derivation.
“Mr President and distinguished colleagues, Anambra as an oil-producing state has been collecting 13% derivation from an oil exploited from her wells by the federal government since 2021 and eminently deserves to be included in the operational radius of NDDC.
“Kogi State was also declared as an oil-producing state, but has not been collecting any 13% derivation,” he said.
Provoked by the submission, Senator Isah furiously took to the floor by admonishing Nwoye to limit his argument to Anambra State and allow the Senate to decide the fate of his bill.
“Senator Nwoye with all due respect, please stop dragging Kogi State into your argument for membership of Anambra State in NDDC. Kogi State is an oil producing State and has also been collecting 13% derivation since October 2022”, he said.
At this point, the President of the State, Godswill Akpabio, intervened to douse the tension, saying, if the argument of Senator Nwoye on proposed membership of Anambra State in NDDC, “is to be accepted by the Senate, then Lagos State, which has two oil wells in Badagry, will also clamour for membership of the commission.”
On submissions made by Senator Nwoye that even if NDDC is considered to be a geographical or regional interventionist body, Anambra State qualifies to be a member on account of its proximity to the Niger Delta area, Akpabio said that the National Boundary Commission would have to decide that.
The President of the Senate later put the proposal to pass the bill for a second reading to voice vote and the Senators rejected it.
