“Stopping Fund Allocations To Rivers Could Lead To Deaths” – Peter Obi

By Adesina Soyooye

Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Governorship Election, Peter Obi, has lamented the ruling of a Federal High Court Abuja which stopped the allocation of funds to Rivers State by the Accountant General of the Federation, the Central Bank of Nigeria and two Commercial banks.

In a ruling on Wednesday, the Honourable Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, said that the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, was in breach of the Constitution when he presented the 2024 Budget to a four-member House of Assembly.  She, therefore, declared the implementation of the budget by the Governor null and void, and stopped all Fund Allocations to the State forthwith.

But lamenting the situation, Obi called on well-meaning Nigerians to weigh-in and stop the calamity afoot.

Writing on his X handle Obi noted that the halting of  allocations to Rivers State by the Court,  and the consequences  thereof, calls for immediate attention because it has the capacity to  push Rivers State citizens into “distress and untimely deaths” as it could compound their challenges.

Obi: “In my political trajectory, I have consistently refrained from name-calling or engaging in personal disputes, choosing instead to focus on issues that directly impact the masses, particularly the suffering poor of Nigeria.

“Despite the national attention the Rivers state crisis has gained, I have largely stayed away from matters specific to a state, but a recent court judgment halting allocations to the state—and the resulting consequences—demands attention.

“This curious decision now calls upon every well-meaning individual- Nigerian to appeal for its immediate reversal.

“Consider the pensioner struggling to survive on a meager income alongside the health workers, school teachers, civil servants, and everyday citizens whose lives are already marked by severe hardship.

“How much more can they endure? This latest development risks pushing them even further into distress—even into untimely deaths—by compounding the challenges they face each day.

“As leaders—whether in the Executive, Legislative, or Judicial – our decisions, and actions should be guided by a commitment to the well being of the less privileged and vulnerable among us.

“As we work toward a better future for all, we must genuinely care about the poor and prioritize the well-being of every Nigerian. What we do today should lay the foundation for a new Nigeria that is possible.”

The stoppage of funds to Rivers State in a case instituted by the Martin Amaewhule-faction of the House of Assembly has been greeted by outrage.