PANDEF marks 10 years with demand for 50% oil derivation, faster coastal highway

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has asked the Federal Government to raise the share of oil revenue set aside for producing states from the current minimum of 13 per cent to 50 per cent.

The group made the call in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting of its Board of Trustees and National Executive Committee in Abuja on Tuesday, as it marked its 10th anniversary. The communiqué was read by the chairman of its National Executive Committee, Ambassador Godknows Igali, according to the Independent.

PANDEF brings together political leaders, traditional rulers, former governors, former ministers and other stakeholders from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers states. Its Board of Trustees chairman is Obong Victor Attah.

The forum said the 13 per cent provision has stayed unchanged for more than two decades, even as oil-producing communities carry heavy environmental damage, health risks and development gaps.

What PANDEF is asking for

Beyond the derivation increase, PANDEF wants the National Assembly to scrap the onshore/offshore split in revenue allocation. It argued that offshore oil and gas activities also damage marine life and fishing grounds that coastal communities depend on.

It called on the Federal Government, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the National Assembly to address the issue urgently.

On infrastructure, the forum described the speedy completion of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as non-negotiable. It welcomed the government's decision to keep the highway's original broad alignment instead of folding it into the East-West Road.

PANDEF said it will set up a high-level technical committee to support the Federal Ministry of Works on the project, drawing on earlier design work by OMPADEC and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), plus professionals from the region.

It also asked for the rehabilitation of the East-West Road and other dilapidated roads in the Niger Delta, and for a north-south rail link connecting the region to the rest of the country.

On energy, the forum said the region's more than 209 trillion standard cubic feet of gas reserves could make Nigeria a major global gas player if infrastructure and investment are put in place. It urged both tiers of government and private investors to develop gas-based industries, including power plants, mini-LNG, LPG and compressed natural gas hubs, and petrochemicals.

PANDEF also wants the modular refinery initiative revived, with a dedicated fund for financing, licensing, technical support and environmental compliance. It said such refineries would complement the Dangote Refinery and government-owned refineries and cut reliance on imported fuel.

Environment, ports and 2027

The forum called for sustained, transparent funding of the Ogoni clean-up and for the remediation process to be extended to other polluted communities. It named Nembe Creek in Bayelsa, Odidi in Delta and Kula in Rivers as areas needing urgent attention.

It urged presidential candidates in the 2027 general elections to present practical, measurable and time-bound plans for restoring polluted communities.

PANDEF welcomed plans to modernise the ports of Warri, Port Harcourt and Calabar, and approvals for proposed deep-sea ports at Ibom in Akwa Ibom, Bonny in Rivers and Agge in Bayelsa. It asked for a sustainable financing framework for the ports similar to arrangements around Lagos.

The group also proposed a South-South Investment Fund to mobilise money from individuals, businesses and institutions for critical sectors and job creation, and urged the federal and South-South state governments to make agriculture central to diversifying the region's economy.

Reflecting on its first decade, PANDEF listed the creation of the South-South Development Commission, the start of activities at the Nigerian Maritime University in Okerenkoko, Delta State, and the upgrading of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron, Akwa Ibom, among its gains.

It commended its leadership for efforts to restore peace in Rivers State and for work on the oil-well dispute between Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

What happens next

Changing the derivation formula and the onshore/offshore rule is a matter for the National Assembly and the RMAFC, so the demands now rest with federal lawmakers. PANDEF said it will keep engaging the government and the private sector, including on the proposed investment fund.