Delta State loses over 250,000 barrels of crude to militancy and vandalism, which accounts for the drastic drop in the revenues accruing to the state from the Federation Account, Governor of Delta state Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has disclosed.
Okowa, made the disclosure at a media interaction, while fielding questions from journalists at Government House Asaba
The governor said 80% of pipeline bombings by militants were carried out in Delta state which adversely affected the crude production from Delta State and the consequential federal allocation coming to the state.
The governor expressed deep sadness over the activities of vandals in the Niger Delta region, pushing the state to fourth position from its first position occupied among the oil producing states in the country.
According to Okowa, due to disturbances and disruptions caused by vandals and militants, the state’s crude production daily dropped by 250,000 barrels from the SPDC delivery trunk line that takes crude to the terminal flow station at Forcados.
“You could imagine a situation where we a state that received over N26 billion now getting about N6 billion. Meanwhile the wage bill alone is about N7.4 billion and in some States their entire wage bill is N1.7 billion; which is what pay to post-primary Board,” he said.
On agriculture, the governor said that the state has acquired over 30 hectares of land to boost food production this year.
He also said that the state plans to engage about 5,000 youths in aqua-culture and to procure rice harvesters to assist rice farmers to make the state number one in rice production.
Okowa, also lamented the high wages confronting the state.
Delta’s wage bill currently stands at N7 billion, the highest in Nigeria, Okowa said.
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