Henry Umoru
12 July 2012, Sweetcrude, ABUJA- NIGERIA’s thirty six state governors under the aegis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, are poised for legal battle with the Federal government.
The governors at a meeting which took place at the Rivers state governor’s lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, as gathered, have concluded arrangements to drag the federal government to the Supreme Court over deductions from the federation account.
According to a source at the meeting, the governors are not comfortable with what they termed over deductions by the government to fund the fuel subsidy.
The governors, the source said, are approaching the apex court for final explanation on the formula for withdrawal from their account.
The federal government in this year’s budget earmarked a total of N880 billion to finance fuel subsidy, but seven months, the said amount has been exhausted, just as the move by the governors is to put an end to further deductions.
The governors are also pushing that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is not transparent in the operation of its account as the corporation ought to operate a zero account by remitting what it gets into the federation account.
The governors will also use the Supreme Court to address other areas of conflict between the states and the Federal government.
At Wednesday’s meeting were governors of Katsina, Kaduna, Borno, Zamfara, Kebbi; Taraba; Jigawa; Kogi; Enugu; Delta ; Lagos; Ekiti and Ondo.
Also present were governors of Ebonyi, Abia; Plateau; Rivers; Bayelsa; Anambraj Gombe and Adamawa.
Deputy governors of Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Kwara, Ogun and Yobe also attended the meeting.
