The Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, has indicated interest in meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan over allegations regarding the non-remittance of some funds by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
The forum underscored the need for such a meeting in a communiqué that was issued at the end of its meeting in Abuja, on Thursday.
It would be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Governor, Lamido Sanusi, had in a letter to Mr. Jonathan alleged that the NNPC failed to remit $49.8 billion (N7.8 trillion) to the Federation Account.
Mr. Sanusi said the money represented the proceeds from crude oil sales between January 2012 and July 2013.
However, the NNPC rejected the CBN governor’s allegation over the unremitted funds, saying it was borne out of Mr. Sanusi’s misunderstanding of the workings of the oil and gas industry.
The NNPC said that the misunderstanding was further compounded by the modalities for remitting crude oil sales revenue into the Federation Account.
“There is a weighty allegation contained in a recent letter to Mr. President by the CBN Governor on the state of the economy,” the NGF said in the communique read to journalist by its chairman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers. “Therefore, members mandated the forum’s chairman to request for a meeting with Mr President in order to deliberate on issues of critical national importance.”
It added that the meeting with the president became necessary because the Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC,meeting for November, planned for December 9 and 10, was shelved for undisclosed reasons.
The forum also noted that the National Economic Council, NEC, meeting, scheduled for December 12, where such issues could have been discussed, was also postponed indefinitely.
It noted that the NEC meeting had not been convened in the last four months.
Meanwhile, the forum condoled with the government and people of South Africa over the death of its former president, Nelson Mandela.It noted that Mr. Mandela left a legacy of quality and selfless leadership was worthy of emulation.
The forum also remembered the late Governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa, who died a year ago.
It said that it would identify with the Yakowa family during the memorial event which would be organised by the family.
The NGF meeting was attended by the governors of Borno, Lagos, Ekiti, Kwara, Adamawa, Zamfara, River and Osun States.
The deputy governors of Oyo and Jigawa States also attended the meeting.
The forum, which became factionalised during its election in May, is an association of all the state governors in the country.
(NAN)
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