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Nigeria’s Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government can continue with legal moves to stop southern states retaining most of the revenue earned from their oil reserves, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
The states, 12 out of the country’s 36, say that they produce some 90 percent of Nigeria’s wealth but their communities do not reap the benefits. Under military rule the states had to hand over all their revenue to the central government. The current government has decided to devolve 13 percent of earnings to the states that generated them. It says that if state governments are allowed control of oil revenues the rest of Nigeria will suffer and national unity will be undermined, the BBC reported.
Militant groups in the oil-producing Delta region in the south have kidnapped oil workers and sabotaged petroleum installations in protest against environmental damage caused by the operations of transnational companies. They also demand a greater share of the oil wealth for their communities and more jobs.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions