Civil society organisations, CSOs in the Niger Delta have renewed appeal to the federal government to pay the 13 per cent derivation fund to oil-producing communities.
Coordinator, Niger Delta Civil Society Forum, Comrade Ezekiel Kagbala, in a statement said the continued payment of the derivation fund to state governments was a distortion of its original intent and a betrayal of the historic struggle that gave birth to the policy.
The statement urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to honour the legacy of Chief (Dr.) Wellington O. Okirika, CON—a central figure in the derivation struggle by correcting the alleged long-standing injustice against oil-bearing communities.
According to the Forum, oil-producing areas across Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Rivers States were trapped in poverty despite generating the bulk of Nigeria’s revenue. It noted that polluted creeks, devastated mangroves, collapsing farmlands and declining fish stocks continued to define daily life in these communities, even as derivation revenues run into trillions of dollars annually.
The group argued that governors, many of whom were not part of the original derivation struggle, now exercise near-total control over funds meant to compensate host communities for environmental degradation and loss of livelihoods.
“The 13 per cent derivation was never designed as a windfall for state governments. It emerged from years of resistance, sacrifice and constitutional advocacy by host communities seeking justice for destroyed livelihoods and poisoned environments”, he said.
While Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides for the payment of not less than 13 per cent of revenue from natural resources the civil society body further warned that because oil and gas fall under the Exclusive Legislative List, the practice of routing the derivation funds through governors has enabled massive resource capture, leaving host communities without basic infrastructure, quality education, healthcare facilities or meaningful environmental remediation.
“For over a decade, Chief Okirika, popularly known as “Mr. 13% Derivation Fund” consistently opposed the payment of the fund to states, insisting that it undermined the spirit of the law and amounted to the hijack of host communities’ socio-economic rights.
“Traditional rulers, under the Association of Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON), have echoed similar concerns, repeatedly demanding that derivation funds translate into visible grassroots development such as roads, schools, healthcare facilities, shoreline protection and livelihood restoration.
“Although intervention agencies like DESOPADEC in Delta State were created to address these gaps, the Forum notes persistent concerns over politicisation, limited reach and inadequate funding compared to the scale of environmental devastation in oil-bearing areas “, he said.
Citing official figures, the group disclosed that in the first half of 2025 alone, nine oil-producing states—Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers—shared over ₦881 billion in derivation revenue. “Despite this, many host communities still lack electricity, potable water and economic opportunities “, Kagbala said.
“The Forum further calls for the establishment of a Derivation Board and a Presidential Monitoring Committee to ensure transparency, accountability and direct community impact.
“The group also calls on President Tinubu, the National Assembly led by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to institute mechanisms that guarantee direct access of host communities to derivation funds “, he said.
Reflecting on the roots of the struggle, Kagbala recalled that the derivation campaign peaked at the 1994–1995 Constitutional Conference, where Chief Okirika played a decisive role in raising derivation from three per cent to 13 per cent. His contributions, documented in his biography “Mr. 13% Derivation Fund: The Life and Legacy of Chief (Dr.) Wellington O. Okirika, CON,” were cited as evidence that progress is achieved through persistence and collective action.
The Niger Delta Civil Society Forum further enjoined President Tinubu to remember the sacrifices behind the derivation principle and to act decisively, warning that reclaiming the 13 per cent derivation for host communities “is no longer optional but inevitable and history will judge our different roles “.
