THE National Economic Council, NEC, at its meeting yesterday in the State House announced that the nation’s Excess Crude Account has hit $3.5billion.
Following agitations by embattled governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, the regular NEC meeting was technically put on hold until yesterday’s event coming several months after.
However, Amaechi did not attend yesterday’s edition of NEC meeting usually presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo.
Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio alongside his Benue State colleague, Gabriel Suswam and Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, as well as the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) briefed State House correspondents after the meeting.
The governor also said: “Coordinating Minister of the Economy/Honourable Minister of Finance reported to the Council that the Excess Crude Account as at yesterday stood at $3.5billion after payments for fuel subsidy and SURE-P.
“Council resolved that details of spending on excess crude be given to states on time and also urged that expeditious action be taken to sort out all the legalities surrounding the ECA.”
They said following a presentation to the council by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, NEC resolved that details of spending from the account be promptly made available to the states even as it called for early resolution of the legal issues surrounding the account.
According to Akpabio, Col Dasuki who also briefed the council on the security situation in parts of the country, said 17 states had been identified as flash points.
He said such states include Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Bauchi, Niger, Nasarawa, Kwara, Kaduna and Oyo.
“We also reported issues bordering on the conflicts in the southern parts of the country like Edo, Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers, particularly in the Ogoja area.
“The NSA reported to council the efforts being made by his office to involve international agencies on the issues, one of which that it will invite all stakeholders to an international conference to deliberate,” adding that the agency based in Geneva, Switzerland, is working out modalities to involve communities in the affected states to find means of settling the conflicts in Plateau and that will now be used as a pilot programme across the entire country.”
“At the end, the council resolved that a committee on grazing reserves headed by Governor Murtala Nyako had earlier been set up and had been working hard to provide solutions to the problem in the country. So council recommended that to fast-track the recommendations of that committee Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue join that committee as co-chair in order to ensure that at least during the next council meeting a report on it is presented to council.”
He said: “Comprehensive discussion was made in the council and the governors of Delta and Edo States say that people came into their states in trucks without cattle. Cattle grazers move around with cattle but these insurgents now come to town in their large numbers and in trailer loads.
“Governor of Kogi also confirmed that they had cordoned an area because these people came in four trucks. They have asked security to cordone them. It is actually a cause for concern because mercenaries have taken over; what is happening is that this is beyond the Fulanis that we know and who are part of us.”
Also speaking, Governor Suswam said: “These are different crops of people either parading as Fulani or people who are Fulani from displaced areas because they are heavily armed. The Fulani around us here are never heavily armed.
“Even their women carry AK 47. So these are not the regular Fulani we are used to who are within our country. These are people moving into our country with a mission we are yet to know. But the NSA assured us that serious actions are being taken to address and contain these people who are moving into Nigeria from destinations that we do not know.
“Council resolved that a technical committee be also set up to come up with recommendations on how to manage incessant conflicts between crop farmers and pastoralists, to report within two weeks.”
Alpabio added that the committee is made up of Minister of Agriculture as chairman while members include Minister of Environment, Minister of Science and Technology, Minister of Interior, Minister of Water Resources, Minister of National Planning, NSA, director general of National Orientation Agency, NOA, and representatives of states.
The post Excess crude account now $3.5bn – NEC appeared first on Nigeria pilot.