Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo State, claimed on Wednesday that 43 oil wells belonging to the state had been “wrongly” given to Rivers, posing an environmental threat to the state.
He said that while the rest of the state was suffering, Rivers was receiving extra funding from the federal government.
As a result, Uzodimma demanded a return from the oil wells that he claimed belonged to Imo State.
During a public hearing in Owerri on the present revenue allocation mechanism for the South-East zone, the governor said
“Imo State has 43 oil wells that were wrongly attributed to Rivers State. While Rivers was receiving the benefits in increased allocation of funds, Imo State was grappling with the consequences of oil spillage, degradation of arable land and waterways, restiveness of the youth, insecurity, and unemployment among other ills.
“We believe that the lost revenue be refunded to Imo State. In addition, a special fund should be made available to Imo State to help the state in recovering and remediating the environmental damage caused by these oil and gas explorations.”
