Amaechi invites Jang to NGF meeting

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi

The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, who is also the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has summoned the meeting of the forum.

The notice of the meeting, which holds in Abuja on Wednesday, was also sent to the factional Chairman of the NGF, who is also the Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Jonah Jang.

The agenda of the meeting, shows that Amaechi will brief his colleagues on the letter  the governors wrote to President Goodluck Jonathan on the sharing of revenue accruing to the states from the Federation Account.

At their last meeting, which was held in Abuja on December 12, 2013, the governors said they were going to confront President  Jonathan on the alleged refusal of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to remit $49.8bn to the Federation Account.

The governors based their decision on the revelation  made by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,  Mallam  Lamido Sanusi, in a letter issued by him that the NNPC had failed to remit the money, which was said to be the proceeds of crude sales between January 2012 and July 2013.

The said amount was said to have represented 76 per cent of the value of crude oil lifted during the period, in which the NNPC was said to have remitted  $15.5bn, representing a paltry 24 per cent of the total value of $65.3bn.

It was also gathered that Wednesday meeting would also deliberate on funding challenges at the state level, how to move  the NGF forward, adoption  of the NGF Strategic Plan and Action Plans for 2014

The notice of the meeting was signed by the NGF Director-General, Mr. Asisha Okauru.

Meanwhile, the political crisis in Rivers State took another shape on Monday when the State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Marshal Uwom, announced the resignation of his appointment.

Uwom, who spoke with newsmen shortly after submitting his resignation letter at the Government House in Port Harcourt, said he was not comfortable with the defection of Amaechi to the All Progressives Congress.

He said, “Series of recent developments, especially the decision of my boss, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, to dump the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress informed my decision to leave the cabinet.”