By Moses Okorie
Rivers State Governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has vowed to contest the planned withdrawal from the Excess Crude Account by the Federal Government, which was said would be used to buy additional weapons for the Nigerian military fighting insurgency in the North-East.
It was reported that the Nigerian Governors’ Forum on Thursday, February 18, 2021, agreed that the Federal Government should make the withdrawal, but Wike dissociated himself, and said he has ordered his Attorney General to file a case to that effect, except Rivers State would be given their 13 per cent, before such withdrawal is made.
According to statement posted on his official Twitter handle on Friday, February 19, 2021, Wike queried the rationale behind another withdrawal when the Federal Government has not accounted for the earlier $1 billion it withdrew and gave to the military in 2017.
According to him, “Nigeria Governors Forum endorsement of fresh withdrawal of fund by the Federal Government from the Excess Crude Account will be contested.
“What happened to the $1 billion withdrawn from Excess Crude Account in 2017 on the stance that it will be used to fund the fight against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East?
“Yesterday, I was told that the governors agreed that they will take money from Excess Crude to support military. What of the one they took before, the $1billion that they gave to the military?
“Now again! This one, I’ll tell my Attorney General; you will have to prepare, we will go to court. I will not support that one except they’ll give us (Rivers State) our 13 percent first from that Excess Crude Account”, he stated.