The National Assembly has been challenged to institute an inquiry towards verifying the assertion that 83 per cent of the nation’s oil blocs were in the control of northerners.
The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, in a statement said the claim was astounding, given a recent publication of Forbes Magazine that the majority of the 11 Nigerian billionaires in its roll were southerners.
According to the ACF statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, a northerner, was the only one on the list who did not make his money from oil.
The statement was released following a claim in the Senate, Wednesday, by Senator Ita Enang, PDP, Akwa Ibom North-East that 83 per cent of oil blocs were in the control of northerners.
In response to the Senator’s assertion, the ACF through the statement said:
“Given the important constitutional provisions that access to all national resources be equitable and conform with provisions for federal character, ACF wishes to appeal to the National Assembly to investigate the allegations and publish the distribution of oil blocs according to state together with their volume and from which dates. Or the Federal Government should institute a commission of inquiry to establish the veracity or otherwise of such allegations.”
“ACF is alarmed by the allegations because it is not long ago that the Forbes magazine said eleven Nigerians are now on the list, and that all of them-except Dangote who is a manufacturer-owe their riches to oil. The North had fewer of the rich Nigerians on the list than the South.”
“We believe knowledge of the correct position of things will help in improving the equitable management of oil blocs in accordance with provisions of the federal character for performance and public good.”
Nigerians have also expressed their interest and eagerness to know if Senator Ita Enang’s observation is by any means the true state of things.
Please,these South-South people are grumbling for the Northerners’ influences in the leadership of the country. Give them their oil blocks and use up your population to grab back your leadership. Don’t allow them to get even 1% in each state of the north.
Is Forbes magazine an Authority with regards to oil block ownership in Nigeria ?ACF should cross check informations from the relevant ministries of Government.
ACF you have spoken well,its left for Federal Government to display the list openly & if it is true that northerners have 83 % let them return all to the owners of the oil,they’ve cheated them enough.