Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has urged the Rivers State Government to pass a specific law that guarantees direct benefits for oil-producing communities from the state’s share of the 13 percent derivation fund, describing it as “a constitutional and moral obligation.”
Speaking at the Ken Saro-Wiwa 30th Anniversary Memorial Lecture in Port Harcourt, Falana said while the Federal Government allocates 13% derivation to oil-producing states, the host communities — who suffer the environmental and social consequences — see little or no benefit.
“Rivers State must have a law that makes special allocation to oil-producing areas out of the 13 percent derivation,” Falana declared.
“You cannot continue to receive billions every month while the oil-bearing communities live in poverty and pollution.”
The Senior Advocate explained that a state-level legal framework was necessary to guarantee equity and transparency in the management of derivation funds, stressing that “justice at the local level” is as crucial as resource control at the federal level.
“Each month, oil-producing states receive special allocations, but the communities that produce the oil see nothing,” he said. “That injustice must stop, and it starts with legislation.”
Falana called on host communities, civil society organizations, and the media to demand transparency in the utilization of derivation revenues, adding that local governments should be made to publish monthly allocations and expenditures.
“Every local government in Rivers State receives no less than N500 million monthly. Apart from paying salaries, where is the development?” he queried.
He emphasized that real federalism is not about rhetoric, but about ensuring that the wealth from local resources returns to local people.
“You cannot talk about resource control if the people in the resource area are excluded from the benefits. Justice must begin from home,” Falana said.
