DELTA-NEWSWATCH

The Convener of No Jobman for Governor 2023, Comrade Steven Luke, has publicly exposed what he described as false claims by Hon. Ferguson Onwo and his aides, Ofrokor M. Pedro, over the construction of classrooms and fencing at Okpolo Enwhe Primary School in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State. According to Comrade Steven Luke, the claims credited to Hon. Ferguson Onwo are misleading, as the projects in question were not executed by him. Speaking during his visit to Okpolo Enwhe community on January 15, 2026, Comrade Steven said he personally inspected the newly constructed classrooms and fencing, which he confirmed were carried out by the Chairman of Isoko South Local Government Area, Hon. Friday Warri. He praised Hon. Friday Warri, describing him as a leader with vision and genuine commitment to grassroots development, in contrast to what he referred to as “greedy and selfish leaders” who take credit for projects they did not execute. Comrade Steven Luke furth...

As Nigeria steps into 2026 amid renewed calls for justice, accountability and inclusive governance, the Niger Delta Civil Society Forum believes it is both timely and necessary to return to history, because the future of the 13 per-cent derivation depends entirely on truth. For too long, the original intent of derivation has been obscured, leading to persistent injustice against the very communities whose resources sustain the Nigerian state. For decades, a dangerous and misleading narrative has taken root in public discourse: that the 13 per cent derivation belongs to state governments. This distortion has not only deprived oil-producing communities of their rightful benefits, it has also erased the sacrifices of those who fought, risked their safety and negotiated relentlessly to secure that historic concession.  As a new year begins, the Niger Delta Civil Society Forum insists, without equivocation, that the 13 percent derivation was won by oil-producing communities,...

The Niger Delta Civil Society Forum (NDCSF) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to apply the same constitutional firmness he recently demonstrated on local government autonomy by directing that the 13 per cent derivation funds be paid directly to oil-producing host communities. The group said the continued payment of the constitutionally guaranteed derivation funds to state governments amounts to a long-standing injustice against communities whose natural resources sustain the Nigerian economy. In a statement issued on Monday in Warri Delta State, the National Coordinator of the forum, Comrade Ezekiel Kagbala, reacted to President Tinubu’s directive to the 36 state governors to release local government allocations in compliance with a Supreme Court judgment. He argued that the President should extend such decisive action to the implementation of Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the principle of derivation. According to Kagbala, the Constitut...

The Niger Delta Civil Society Forum (NDCSF), Ondo State chapter, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently address what it describes as the “persistent injustice” in the administration of the 13 percent derivation fund, warning that communities may be compelled to seek international intervention if the Federal Government fails to correct the long-standing anomaly. The call was made on Monday during a press conference in Ilaje, Ondo State, led by the state coordinator of the Forum, Comrade Mrs. Ilemobayo Ojalatan, alongside the secretary, Revd. Apostle Tayedolu Jato, and spokesperson, Revd. Banjo Ikuelogbon. The group also addressed an open letter to President Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), urging immediate enforcement of direct payment of derivation funds to oil, gas, and mineral-producing communities. According to the Forum, the continued channelling of the 13% derivation fund through stat...

The Niger Delta Development Initiative (NDDI) has renewed its call for the Federal Government to ensure the full, lawful, and transparent implementation of the 13% derivation fund, insisting that oil-bearing communities continue to suffer severe neglect despite decades of revenue allocations supposedly meant for their development. This stance follows a formal document issued by several Niger Delta host-community groups, calling for sweeping reforms, including the establishment of a 13% Derivation Board in each oil-producing state and a Presidential Monitoring Committee to enforce accountability in the management of the funds. The NDDI rejects the N141.36 billion being paid as the 13% derivation fund to state government in October 2025 by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), describing it as unconstitutional and unjust to the welfare of oil-producing communities. The Coordinator, Comrade Marvelous Doboro, while briefing newsmen today in Abuja, said: “The relea...

Abuja, Nigeria — The Niger Delta Civil Society Forum (NDCSF), Rivers State chapter, has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately stop channeling the 13 percent derivation fund through state governments.  The group insists that "the existing system is unconstitutional and deprives oil-producing communities of the resources meant to address decades of environmental, economic, and infrastructural neglect". The call was made at a press conference in Asokoro, Abuja, where the Rivers State Coordinator of NDCSF, Comrade Bernice Tamuno-Obukorubo, stoutly condemned what she described as the “illegal and unconstitutional diversion of derivation funds away from the primary resource-bearing communities". According to Tamuno-Obukorubo, the 13 percent derivation fund—designed to compensate oil, gas, and mineral-producing communities—was never intended to be paid to state governments. “The payment of the 13 percent derivation fund through state governments is ...