Excess Crude Cuts: Governors Head To Court

From Left: Ministers of Labour, Emeka Wogu, Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, Interior, Abba Moro, Minister of State for Works, Amb Bashiru Yuguda, Petroleum, Deziani Allison-Madueke, and Minister of State for Power, Darius Ishaku at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, on Wednesday

The Nigeria Governors‘ Forum (NGF)
yesterday said it would return to court to challenge the Federal Government ‘s
deductions from the Excess Crude Account to offset fuel subsidy

This is contained in a communiqué
read by its Chairman, Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers, at the forum’s
meeting held in Abuja.

It stated that the NGF unanimously
took the decision after long deliberations to get the court to compel the
Federal Government to adhere to the provision of the constitution.

“On the Excess Crude Account,
forum unanimously decided to head back to court to enforce the Federal
Governments‘ adherence to the constitution,’’ it stated.

Our correspondent recalls that the
forum at its meeting of July 12,  had
threatened to take legal action against the Federal Government for making
deductions from the excess crude
accounts to offset fuel subsidy.

It criticised the continued
deduction of oil subsidy from the excess crude accounts, saying the deduction
negated the principle of federalism and budgetary provision.

The forum expressed support for
the  good governance tour as conceived by
the National Economic Council (NEC), noting that the tour would  showcase their achievements in various
sectors.

The tour would commence on
Thursday in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The forum also resolved to
eradicate polio  through  various strategies, including deepening
advocacy and administration of polio vaccines.

The forum is an umbrella body of
the 36 elected governors of the federation.

The meeting was attended by  the governors of Rivers, Cross River, Ekiti,
Ondo, Anambra, Kogi, Lagos, Niger, Gombe, Adamawa, Yobe, Taraba, Enugu, Jigawa,
Delta, Plateau, Ondo, Abia, Ogun and Oyo states.

Others are: Kogi, Akwa Ibom,
Niger, Kwara and Nasarawa states among others, while Imo was represented by the
deputy governor.