Posted by From Josephine Lohor in Abuja and Ahamefula Ogbu in Jos on
President Olusegun Oba-sanjo yesterday met with the leadership of the National Political Reform Conference (NPR) to find a way out of the current deadlock over certain unresolved issues which last week led to a walk-out by delegates from the South-south and South-east.
*Meets leadership, South-south, northern governors
President Olusegun Oba-sanjo yesterday met with the leadership of the National Political Reform Conference (NPR) to find a way out of the current deadlock over certain unresolved issues which last week led to a walk-out by delegates from the South-south and South-east.
Delegates from the South-south had last week pulled out of the conference following the adoption of 17% derivation principle for resource allocation as recommended by the committee of leaders. The South-east delegates also walked out of the conference following the adoption of two terms of four years for the president instead of a single six-year term.
Both zones complained of procedurial irregularities and vowed not to return until all the issues adopted at last Tuesday's plenary were revisited. The Northern delegates have vowed not to be part of a revisit of all the settled issues.
Obasanjo's meeting with the leadership of the conference was a follow up to the earlier ones he held with governors from the northern states on Sunday night and another one with the six South-south governors Saturday in Calabar.
Senior Special Assistant on Media to the President, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, told State House Correspondents, that 'in Calabar on Saturday, the president met with South-south governors. On Sunday night, he met with governors of the northern states. This morning, the President met with the leadership of the National Political Reforms Conference."
At the meetings, she said Obasanjo urged all parties concerned to place the interest of the country above all other interests and return to the conference to discuss and agree on issues affecting the nation.
At the meeting with the northern governors, Oyo said Obasanjo expressed concern over the pull-out by the South-south delegates and threats by Northern delegates to stage a retaliatory walk-out.
She added that the governors of the northern states 'shared the belief of the President that our country is more important than any other interest. I believe that the governors will work assiduously to ensure that we get the conference concluded in one piece."
"The reason the President decided to meet with everyone is to try and bring all of the differing factions together. As you know, we have had reports of walk-out or threats of walk-out and the President impressed it on the governors that it is important that where you have different views people should sit down and talk about it. And that is the whole essence of the Reform Conference, anyway. That is, that the representatives of the people are there to sit down and talk about the way forward for our country, our hopes and aspirations and the way to assure sustainable development for our country.
'The President, being concerned about the reports he had received, decided to talk with the governors. The essence of it all is that it is possible to get back to the table.
The President is hopeful that all of the views can be galvanised into one. And because the governors are the ones that appointed most of the members of the National Reforms Conference, the President believes that they have a critical role to play in talking with their delegates, in trying to reach an agreement in such a way that the conference can go on and end successfully to the betterment of all Nigerians", she said.
Obasanjo's Saturday meeting with the South-south governors was said to have coincided with his visit to Cross River State and was held at the Obasanjo Farms Nigeria Limited (OFN) situated at Ekong Anaku in Akamkpa Local Government Area of the State.
The conference had a stormy session last Tuesday when South-south delegates pulled out with a resolve not to return until the issues that necessitated their withdrawal are addressed. Delegates from the South-east and others representing various interests also walked out of the conference following the insistence of conference Chairman, Justice Niki Tobi, to take a vote on tenure of the president, the only issue on which consensus could not be reached by the state Leaders' Committee.
The bone of contention was the irreconcilable differences on the report of the Elders' Committee set-up to harmonise areas of disagreements among the zones before the compilation of a single report.
The Committee headed by the Leader of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Prof. Joe Irukwu, had made recommendations on resource control and ownership and derivation. It suggested that:
•A clear affirmation of the inherent rights of the people of the oil-producing areas of the country not to remain mere spectators but to be actively involved in the management and control of the resources in their place by having assured places in the Federal Government's mechanism for the management of the oil and gas exploration and marketing;
•An expert commission should be appointed by the Federal Government to study all the ramifications of the industry including revenue allocation with a view to reporting within a period of not more than six months how the mineral resources can best be controlled and managed for the benefit of the people of both the states where the resources are located and of the country as a whole;
•In the interim the level of derivation be increased from the present level of 13% to 17% with the four per cent increase coming from the allocation of the Federal Government and
•Massive and urgent programme of development of infrastructure and human resources of the Niger Delta should be embarked upon by the Federal Government.
South-south delegates are however insisting on a 25% derivation benchmark for allocation of resources.
Meanwhile, non governmental organizations in the North Central zone of the country under the aegis of the 'North Central Coalition of NGOs" yesterday rose from an emergency meeting in Jos, Plateau State capital and expressed support for the walkout staged by South South delegates at the conference.
They also condemned the position and attitude of the 'Northern delegates", pointing out that they ought to know that it was payback time for the North to back the agitation of the South-south people for resource control and 2007 presidency.
The NGOs stated that their position was informed by the need to preserve the unity of the country. They urged Nigerians to see the clamour for a South South Presidency as a necessary move to take the country forward.
'We also view the current unfolding event at the confab and condemn the attitude of Northern delegates at the confab. We believe there is always a payback time and it is now time for the North to support the South in its demand for resource control and 2007 presidency.
'The coalition also resolved to support the pull-out from the confab by the South-South delegates and urged them to reject the 17 percent derivation as recommended by the committee of leaders", they stated.
The coalition reminded the Northern delegates that they should thread softly as any attempt to break the bond between the North and the South through 'immature handling of the resource control and 2007 Presidency" might affect future political ambitions of northerness.
'We finally call on the Northern governors to support the genuine demand of the South South people for resource control, considering the fact that the whole country is blessed with vast mineral resources which in future might necessitate some states with such mineral potentials to demand for resource control.
'The issue of resource control and 2007 Presidency we believe can be handled maturely as such the Obasanjo Government should do all it can to ensure the demand of the South South people are met in the interest of the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria", they noted.