The House of Representatives has urged the Executive Arm of government to include Imo State in the initiative organised by the government to find lasting solutions to the problems in the Nigeria Delta region.

The House has also directed the Ministries of Petroleum Resources and the Niger Delta, to ensure inclusion of the state in all matters relating to oil producing communities.

This followed a motion presented by Honourable Goodluck Nanah, in which he observed that there was tension in the oil producing communities of the state, following the exclusion which had denied them the gains of the initiative.

The lawmaker observed that Imo State had been an oil producing area since 1955 and its nine oil producing communities have suffered environmental pollution and degradation associated with oil exploration and exploitation.

He lamented that despite the pollution, the communities had not benefited from the revenue sharing formula as an oil producing state.

The call of the House of Representatives is coming weeks at the Kwara State Government sought immediate inclusion on the list of beneficiaries of the 13 per cent Derivation Fund from the solid minerals, as a solid minerals producing state.

The State Commissioner for Industry and Solid Minerals Development, Funmilayo Oniwa, made the demand on behalf of the state government in Ilorin at the stakeholders’ forum organised by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAC).

Mrs Oniwa pointed out that the state had about 17 mineral resources and queried the exclusion of the state among investment destinations for solid minerals development listed in the brochure of the Nigerian Mining and Metal Sector Investment Promotion released in August.

She explained that the state had contributed immensely to the development of the solid minerals’ sector, as a veritable source of revenue generation into the Federation Account. (Channels TV)

•Photo shows Hon. Goodluck Nanah

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