Renowned Niger Delta environmental and human rights activist, Chief Mulade Sheriff, PhD, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stop the direct payment of 13 per cent oil derivation funds to oil-producing state governments, urging a new development-driven approach for the Niger Delta.
Mulade, who is the Ibe-Serimoowei of the oil-rich Gbaramtu Kingdom in Delta State, made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, arguing that the current arrangement has failed to translate massive oil revenues into tangible development for host communities.
According to him, despite trillions of naira disbursed to oil-producing states over the years, many Niger Delta communities remain trapped in poverty, environmental devastation, unemployment and a severe lack of basic infrastructure.
“The 13 per cent derivation fund was meant to bring development and relief to oil-producing communities, but that purpose has largely been defeated,” Mulade said. “What we see today is widespread diversion, mismanagement and misappropriation, with little or no impact on the lives of ordinary people in the creeks and host communities.”
The activist urged President Tinubu to initiate a bold policy shift by channeling derivation funds into federally coordinated, transparent and independently monitored mega development projects across the region.
He identified priority areas to include coastal protection, environmental remediation, roads and bridges, healthcare, education and youth employment, stressing that such projects must be executed through special-purpose frameworks with strong community participation, credible oversight and clear performance benchmarks.
“This administration has a historic opportunity to correct decades of injustice and waste in the Niger Delta,” Mulade said. “Rather than sharing money that disappears into private pockets, we should invest in visible, life-changing projects that will endure and provide jobs for our youths.”
He further linked persistent insecurity, oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the region to prolonged underdevelopment and neglect, noting that strategic investment in infrastructure and human capital would significantly reduce restiveness and criminal activity.
Mulade also called on the National Assembly to support constitutional and policy reforms that would ensure more effective utilisation of derivation funds in the interest of oil-bearing communities.
He expressed confidence that, with transparency and strong political will, the Tinubu administration could redefine Niger Delta development and restore public trust in the management of the nation’s oil revenues.
