Two months after their May 11 meeting in Delta State tagged the ‘Asaba Accord’, the Southern Governors Forum, yesterday, met in Lagos State where it declared that Nigeria’s next president should be from the southern part of the country.
Other
far-reaching decisions arrived at as contained in the communiqué released,
which was signed by the convener, Ondo State Governor and Chairman, Southern
Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), include a rejection of
the proposed allocation of at least 30 per cent of the profit generated by the
proposed Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited for the exploration of oil
in ‘frontier basins’ as identified by Section 9 of the recently passed
Petroleum Industry Bill; setting a timeline of September 1, 2021 for
promulgation of the anti-open grazing law in all 17 member states; and asking
that security agencies must notify them as chief security officers of their
states before they carry out any operation within their domain.
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The
class of 17 governors in the now famous ‘Lagos Declaration’ unanimously agreed
that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between Southern and Northern
Nigeria. The incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari, from the Northern region
will complete his two terms of eight years by May 29, 2023.
Specifically,
the Southern governors want all the major political parties to field
politicians from the South as their presidential candidates as they did in
1999.
Akeredolu,
who read the communiqué on behalf of his colleagues, said: “The Southern Governors
Forum re-affirm its commitment to the unity of Nigeria on the pillars of
equity, fairness, justice, progress and peaceful co-existence between and among
its people.
“The Forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and
unanimously agrees that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between Southern
and Northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should
emerge from the Southern Region.”
PIB
ON the PIB recently passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the
governors commended the “National Assembly for the progress made in the passage
of the PIB, but rejected the proposed three per cent and support the five per
cent share of the oil revenue to the host community as recommended by the House
of Representatives.”
The Forum while rejecting the proposed 30 per cent share of profit for the
exploration of oil and gas in the basins, also rejected the ownership structure
of the proposed Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), saying that
“the company be vested in the Federal Ministry of Finance but held in trust by
Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), since all tiers of government
have stakes in that vehicle.”
The
bill will regulate the oil sector if signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Although the proposed law doesn’t identify the frontier basins, a statement by
the President in 2019 identified the frontier basins as Chad Basin, Gongola
Basin, Sokoto Basin, Dahomey Basin, Bida Basin, Benue Trough, among others.
Currently,
crude oil is obtained from eight states in the Niger Delta region, which
include: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers states.
SECURITY
ON security, Akeredolu said the Forum reviewed the security situation in the
country and commends security operatives for their relentless efforts in
restoring security and safety while commiserating with families and loved ones
of those who have fallen in the line of duty.
While
emphasising the need for state police, it, however, resolved that henceforth,
security agencies must notify governors as chief security officers of their
states before they carry out any operation within their doma
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri (left); Imo
State Deputy Governor Placid Njoku; Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu);
Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Gboyega Oyetola (Osun);
Babajide Sanwo-Olu Lagos; Chairman of the Forum/Ondo State Governor Rotimi
Akeredolu; Nyesom Wike (Rivers); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta);
Seyi Makinde (Oyo); Deputy Governors Ude Oko Chukwu (Abia); Philips Shuaibu
(Edo) and Kelechi Igwe (Ebonyi) after the Southern Governors Forum meeting in
Lagos… yesterday.
• Order member states to promulgate anti-open grazing law by Sept. 1
• Security agencies must inform govs before any operation in states
• Ohanaeze Ndigbo demands presidency for Southeast
• Afenifere, DAWN Commission, others hail resolutions
Two months after their May 11 meeting in Delta
State tagged the ‘Asaba Accord’, the Southern Governors Forum, yesterday, met
in Lagos State where it declared that Nigeria’s next president should be from
the southern part of the country.
Other far-reaching decisions arrived at as
contained in the communiqué released, which was signed by the convener, Ondo
State Governor and Chairman, Southern Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi
Akeredolu (SAN), include a rejection of the proposed allocation of at least 30
per cent of the profit generated by the proposed Nigerian National Petroleum
Company Limited for the exploration of oil in ‘frontier basins’ as identified by
Section 9 of the recently passed Petroleum Industry Bill; setting a timeline of
September 1, 2021 for promulgation of the anti-open grazing law in all 17
member states; and asking that security agencies must notify them as chief
security officers of their states before they carry out any operation within
their domain.
The class of 17 governors in the now famous
‘Lagos Declaration’ unanimously agreed that the presidency of Nigeria be
rotated between Southern and Northern Nigeria. The incumbent, President Muhammadu
Buhari, from the Northern region will complete his two terms of eight years by
May 29, 2023.
Specifically, the Southern governors want all
the major political parties to field politicians from the South as their
presidential candidates as they did in 1999.
Akeredolu, who read the communiqué on behalf of
his colleagues, said: “The Southern Governors Forum re-affirm its commitment to
the unity of Nigeria on the pillars of equity, fairness, justice, progress and
peaceful co-existence between and among its people.
“The Forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and
unanimously agrees that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between Southern
and Northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should
emerge from the Southern Region.”
PIB
ON the PIB recently passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the
governors commended the “National Assembly for the progress made in the passage
of the PIB, but rejected the proposed three per cent and support the five per
cent share of the oil revenue to the host community as recommended by the House
of Representatives.”
The Forum while rejecting the proposed 30 per cent share of profit for the
exploration of oil and gas in the basins, also rejected the ownership structure
of the proposed Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), saying that
“the company be vested in the Federal Ministry of Finance but held in trust by
Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), since all tiers of government
have stakes in that vehicle.”
The bill will regulate the oil sector if signed
by President Muhammadu Buhari. Although the proposed law doesn’t identify the
frontier basins, a statement by the President in 2019 identified the frontier
basins as Chad Basin, Gongola Basin, Sokoto Basin, Dahomey Basin, Bida Basin,
Benue Trough, among others.
Currently, crude oil is obtained from eight
states in the Niger Delta region, which include: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa,
Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers states.
SECURITY
ON security, Akeredolu said the Forum reviewed the security situation in the
country and commends security operatives for their relentless efforts in
restoring security and safety while commiserating with families and loved ones
of those who have fallen in the line of duty.
While emphasising the need for state police, it,
however, resolved that henceforth, security agencies must notify governors as
chief security officers of their states before they carry out any operation
within their domain.
The communiqué didn’t explicitly mention the
recent raid of the Department of State Services (DSS) on the Ibadan residence
of Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, but the
decision of the governors was a veiled reference to the incident.
It would be recalled that last Thursday around
1:00 a.m., DSS officials invaded the residence of Igboho in a Gestapo style.
Though Igboho escaped the raid, his house and vehicles were riddled with
bullets while bloodstains splattered on the floors of the house as two persons
living with him were killed, while 13 other close associates were later paraded
in Abuja on Thursday night.
The governors also frowned on selective criminal
administration of justice and resolved that arrests should be made within the
ambit of the law and fundamental human rights.
Other positions canvassed in the communiqué
include: “That funds deducted from the Federation Account for the Nigeria
Police Security Trust Fund should be distributed among the States and Federal
Government to combat security challenges; In order to consolidate our democracy
and strengthen the electoral process, the Forum rejects the removal of the
electronic transmission of election result from the electoral act; and also
rejects the confirmation of exclusive jurisdiction in pre-election matters on
the Federal High Court.”
Governors present at the meeting included host,
Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Kayode Fayemi
(Ekiti); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Seyi Makinde (Oyo); Nyesom Wike (Rivers);
Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun); and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).
Others are Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom); Diri Duoye
(Bayelsa); and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia); Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta). Edo State
governor, Godwin Obaseki, was represented by his deputy, Philip Shuaibu, same
for Imo, Placid Njokwu; Abia, Oko Chukwu; and Ebonyi, Kelechi Igwe. Those
absent without representation were Anambra and Cross River State governors,
Willie Obiano and Ben Ayade respectively.
At the first meeting in Asaba, key decisions
were taken concerning the security and welfare of the country such as ban on
open grazing in all southern states in a bid to provide a solution to the
incessant herdsmen attacks, and advise to the Federal Government to convene a
national dialogue to ensure greater inclusiveness in existing governance
arrangements.
REACTING, apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday,
applauded the resolution of the Southern governors for power to return to
the region in 2023 and urged them to go further and allow the Southeast
geo-political zone to produce the next president. Ohanaeze also gave full
backing for the promulgation of the anti-open grazing law in the 17 states of
the region by September 1.
National
Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Alex Chiedozie Ogbonnia, insisted
that political power at the centre in the country had always rotated between
the North and South, stressing however, that for justice, fairness, equity and
unity, the zone that had not tasted it in the region should be allowed to
produce President Buhari’s successor.
Ogbonnia
said: “As a matter of fact, there was this agreement reached at the NUC Hall at
Abuja in 1998 between the North and the South. The agreement was that power
should rotate between the north and the south. The man who spoke for the Igbos
on that day was Chuba Okadigbo while Abubakar Rimi spoke for the North. It was
agreed that the first shot should go to a southerner, which now became
Obasanjo/Alex Ekwueme. Then after Obasanjo, it shifted to the North. It had
been alternating between the two regions since then.
“Now that
the North is serving out their tenure, it is supposed to return to the South.
Ohanaeze is happy with their decision. We welcome the idea, but beyond that,
when you talk about South, it should be Southeast. Having secured it in the
south, we are now urging all the Southern governors to understand why it should
be in the Southeast for purposes of equity, fairness and justice.”
Leader of
Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, also commended the
Southern governors, calling them true sons of their fathers and true elected
representatives of their people. Adebanjo also lauded the courage with which
the governors took the resolutions to tell the Federal Government the blunt
truth.
He said:
“I endorsed their resolutions. The insult Buhari administration is passing to
the South is too much. The President challenged the Southern part of the
country and for the first time we have governors who stood up to the excesses
of the Northern oligarchy. No ethnic group can continue to dominate others, we
all have equal stake in the project Nigeria.”
In
similar vein, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),
Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, said the governors did well by the resolutions but
said what they demanded was just a piecemeal instead of the total review of the
1999 Constitution.
Durojaiye
said he was happy that the governors did not speak about secession, which
according to him would have meant another thing, “but they emphasised on state
police, determination to legislate on banning of open grazing and their stance
against planned removal of electronic transmission of votes in the New
Amendment Bill.”
Similarly,
Director General, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), Mr. Seye
Oyeleye, said the resolutions of the governors speak volume about the unity and
corporate existence of Nigeria. According to him, “it is only appropriate for
the presidency to return to the South after the eight years of the North.”
In
another reaction, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum said the governors’ position
will put the nation on a good road to the recovery of her beauty among the
comity of nations. In a statement, President of the group, Akin Malaolu, said
the objections of the governors over what host and producing communities will
take for government’s mining of oil on their indigenous lands as stated in the
PIB, including the reconfiguration of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) deserves scrutiny.
Also,
prominent civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of
Nigeria (HURIWA) has thrown its weight behind the landmark decisions of the
Southern governors, which the group said are strategic towards sustainable
development and promotion of enduring constitutional democracy in the
country.
HURIWA
said the essence of having a unified approach by the Southern governors is to
ensure that Nigeria does not slide into one man’s dictatorship, which is
exactly what President Buhari wants to achieve by seeking to appropriate
ancestral lands of different ethnicities to be awarded freely to his Fulani
kinsmen for the purposes of carrying out their private business.
In a
statement by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the
National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, the rights group said the
decision of the Southern governors to give an implementable deadline for the
enforcement of the ban on open grazing of cows is worthwhile.
The group
said the arbitrary, unilateral and unconstitutional move by President Buhari to
violate the extant Land Use Act of 1978 just to carve out lands from all over
the country for the purposes of unbridled open grazing by private owners of
cows who are mostly the President’s kinsmen, was an affront to the principles
of federalism and the clear provisions of the Land Use Act.
HURIWA
also asked the Southern governors to stand their ground and resist any attempt
no matter how brazen by the President to illegally annex the ancestral lands of
their states and their native peoples, a presidential action that is at variant
with the provisions of the Land Use Act without due process.
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