By Enyinna Omoke, Abakaliki
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has appealed to the Federal Government to establish and make available a Natural Disaster Fund to assist the state in addressing the growing impact of environmental and natural disasters.
The governor made the appeal on Tuesday while receiving members of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), who were in the state as part of the 2026 National Data Verification Exercise.
Nwifuru lamented that Ebonyi has suffered a series of natural disasters in recent times, resulting in extensive damage to public infrastructure and placing a heavy financial burden on the state government.
According to him, a recent windstorm and thunderstorm wreaked havoc on buildings within the Government House complex, necessitating costly reconstruction efforts.
“A lot of disasters have happened in this city. Wind and thunderstorm unroofed almost all the buildings inside this Government House. The natural disaster is costing us huge resources to rebuild,” the governor said.
He also drew attention to the environmental challenges posed by mining activities in the state, noting that abandoned mining pits have continued to endanger communities and degrade the environment.
“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. This is why we are asking for the Natural Disaster Fund,” he added.
The governor expressed optimism that the ongoing nationwide data verification exercise would enhance the accuracy of revenue allocation figures and ultimately improve the revenue accruing to the state.
He stressed the importance of reliable and up-to-date data in national planning and revenue distribution, warning that inaccurate data collection could lead to misleading outcomes.
“Poor data collection inadvertently yields errors which, if relied upon, can mislead. It will make sense if the collected data is updated and analysed to reflect current realities,” he said.
Nwifuru commended the commission for its professionalism and expressed confidence in the competence of the team conducting the exercise.
“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,” he stated.
Earlier, the team leader and Ebonyi State representative in the commission, Dr. Henry Awuregu, said the visit was part of the ongoing National Data Verification Exercise aimed at ensuring fairness and accuracy in the sharing of national resources.
Awuregu explained that Nigeria’s revenue allocation system is based on indices designed to promote equity, fairness and justice among the federating units, but noted that changing socio-economic realities make periodic data verification necessary.
“Over time, 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,” he said.
