The Rural Community Development Outreach (RCDO), a pressure group, has urged governors to resist any attempt by power brokers in their state to hijack the N5 billion subsidy palliative.
The plea was contained in a statement signed by the group’s Nigerian Coordinator, Mr Ikenna Ezenekwe, and the Secretary, Mr Danjuma Mohammed, Secretary, and made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Awka.
President Bola Tinubu had announced the disbursement of N5 billion to states to cushion the effect of the removal of subsidy from petroleum.
The statement said that if the plot to highjack the funds works, the ordinary citizens and rural communities of the affected states stand to lose the most.
It said that with over 133 million Nigerians already languishing below the poverty line, there should be no room for self-serving politicians to interrupt the trajectory towards inclusive development in the country.
“The N5billion palliative which is a key component of President Tinubu’s intervention programme to mitigate the impact of the oil subsidy removal, is now a pawn in the hands of political power-brokers.
“Our intelligence reveals a troubling pattern where seasoned political operatives are leveraging their influence to arm twist state governors into parting with the funds.
“States like Anambra, Bauchi, Borno, and Adamawa, have begun initiative to rescue their people, by marshalling out policies to channel their state’s N5billion into agricultural incentives and infrastructural amenities.
“We call on the governors, especially Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state and Gov.Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra who are already being attacked to resist them, and work for the benefits of the people,” it said.
The group called on Nigerian governors to remain resilient, and resist any attempt by power brokers in their state to take what belongs to the masses
