• Human rights lawyer demands end to exploitation of oil-rich region.
• Calls for accountability in use of 13% derivation and host community funds.
• Urges Rivers Govt to enact special allocation law for oil-producing areas.
Renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has declared that the Niger Delta region has no business with poverty, given its vast mineral wealth and contribution to Nigeria’s economy.
Falana made the statement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the Ken Saro-Wiwa 30th Anniversary Memorial Lecture, themed “Ken Saro-Wiwa: The Man, His Legacies, Struggles, and Challenges.”
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He condemned what he described as the “brutal exploitation” of the Niger Delta people and demanded justice, transparency, and fairness in the management of the region’s resources.
“People of the Niger Delta have no business with poverty. You should live a life of prosperity based on your wealth, and that is why this brutal exploitation must stop,” Falana said.
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Call for Special Law on Derivation Fund
Falana urged the Rivers State Government to enact a law ensuring special allocation to oil-producing communities from the 13% derivation fund provided by the federal government.
“Rivers State must have a law that makes special allocation to its oil-producing areas out of the 13 percent derivation,” he said.
He also advocated for the upward review of host community funds under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which currently mandates 3% of oil company operations to be allocated to host community development.
> “Under Section 257 of the PIA, 3% from oil operations is set aside for host community development. But by May this year, the CEO of NUPRC announced that about ₦97 billion and $150 million have gone to the host community fund. We must all ensure accountability for these figures,” he added.
Demand for Accountability and Justice
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria emphasised the need for transparency in the utilisation of these funds to ensure that the people of the Niger Delta truly benefit from their natural resources.
Falana insisted that both the federal and state governments must take deliberate steps to address poverty, environmental degradation, and neglect in the region.
“It is time to ensure accountability and justice for the Niger Delta people,” he added.
