Ebonyi Urges Nigerian Government Support to Mitigate Natural Disasters

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, has requested that the Federal Government allocate Natural Disaster Funds to the state in order to lessen the impact of recent calamities on residents.

The appeal came as members of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) were in Ebonyi for the 2026 Data Verification Exercise.

Governor Nwifuru told the commission that the state has suffered numerous natural disasters that require immediate federal assistance. “A lot of disasters have happened in this state. Wind and thunderstorms unroofed almost all the buildings inside this government house. The natural disaster is costing us huge resources to rebuild,” he said. “Unfortunately, mining pits impose serious environmental hazards, which the state is remedying, yet we are not benefitting from them since mining licences are not granted by the state government. And so, this is why we are asking for the Natural Disaster Fund.”

He also expressed optimism that the nationwide revenue data collection will increase the revenue accruing to Ebonyi. The statement was issued on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Monday Uzor, and was made available to journalists in Abakaliki.

Governor Nwifuru noted that poor data collection can lead to errors that, if relied upon, may mislead, but he was confident in the competence of the RMAFC team. “The confidence reposed in the commission is evident in the quality of people here because the commission has shown capacity and commitment in the discharge of its assignments. It will make sense if the collected data is updated and analysed to reflect current realities,” he added.

Earlier, Dr. Henry Awuregu, the team leader representing Ebonyi State, explained that the visit was part of the ongoing National Data Verification Exercise of the RMAFC. He said that revenue mobilisation depends on equity and fairness in sharing national resources. “The revenue allocation system in Nigeria is built on a set of indices that seek to ensure fairness, equality and justice in the sharing of national resources. Over time, however, socioeconomic realities evolve, population dynamics change, infrastructure expands, developmental gaps shift and new challenges emerge. It therefore becomes imperative that the data underpinning these indices are periodically verified and updated to reflect present‑day realities. Therefore, it has become necessary to validate the integrity and accuracy of the data that will ultimately inform the distribution of revenue across the federation,” he said.