Cross River State should be included in the post amnesty programme of the Federal Government, the governor of the state, Liyel Imoke said Thursday in Abuja after a meeting with President Umaru Yar'Adua.
Mr. Imoke, who led a three-man delegation to see Mr. Yar'adua, said although there are no militants in the state, there are Bakassi freedom fighters who also need to be rehabilitated. The delegation included the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi, and former senate president, Joseph Wayas.
"We want to believe that we don't have militants in Cross River, but we have the Bakassi freedom fighters," Mr. Imoke said. "It is a group you are all aware of and we are thankful that they have also surrendered their arms and they did that in Cross River themselves, before the expiration of the amnesty programme."
Beyong amnesty talks
The governor and his delegation were in Abuja to discuss with the president on different issues affecting the state, especially the transfer of its 76 oil wells to Akwa Ibom, which they said is affecting the state's financial status.
"Well, the challenges are significant because we have to review our budget and our projections considerably," Mr. Imoke said. "But we are very hopeful of the resolution and restoration in the very near future." The Obong of Calabar expressed sadness over the loss of Bakassi to Cameroun. He said the people's hands were tied over the matter.
"Really, you know exactly how it feels," he said. "I am not happy, because these are my people and we have been working amicably and expecting that we grow with that and the resources in that area actually pained us, as we virtually had nothing to show for it. This is an agreement between the government and the world body, so we just have to accept it." Mr. Imoke said the president has promised to do something to salvage the situation.
Bayelsa wants bigger share
Meanwhile, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, has said his state should be given more consideration in the amnesty programme as there were more militants in Bayelsa than any other state.
"I think we have more militants in Bayelsa, because, maybe, the amnesty succeeded most in Bayelsa State. I agree that a lot of attention needs to be given to the state; we have already started discussing with oil companies and I see a lot of sympathy in that regard," he said in Abuja on Thursday.
He also refuted the statement made by the speaker of the House of Representatives,
Dimeji Bankole, during the post amnesty retreat in Kaduna that Bayelsa's federation account revenue is almost 10 times bigger than that of Lagos.
"I was very surprised that a highly placed Nigerian, like the Speaker, would not know some of the facts, and would put out facts that are not very correct," he said. "For example, he said that Bayelsa gets 9.2 times what Lagos State gets and that is not true.
"Definitely what we get, you can find it on the website. Last month, what I got from the Federation Account was N4.7 billion. The month before that, I got N4.2 billion. I am sure that is definitely not up to 9.2 times over what Lagos State gets. And, of course, he has to be very careful as well. I don't want to go into the other details."
He said the Niger Delta is not an easy place to develop while Lagos State is already developed with money belonging to the whole country.
"It was the capital of Nigeria, before the capital was moved to Abuja," Mr. Sylva said. "I am not saying that the governor is not doing well, he is doing very, very well. I think it is misplaced to compare Lagos State to Bayelsa State."
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