Posted by By Emma Amaize, Osaro Okhomina & Simon Ebegbulem on
LEADER of the South-South delegation to the National Political Reforms Conference (NPRC), Chief Edwin Clark says that the North is now afraid of the South-South because the zone overwhelmed the Hausa/Fulani power bloc for the first time in the history of the country at the just ended confab.
BENIN CITY - LEADER of the South-South delegation to the National Political Reforms Conference (NPRC), Chief Edwin Clark says that the North is now afraid of the South-South because the zone overwhelmed the Hausa/Fulani power bloc for the first time in the history of the country at the just ended confab.
He said while briefing the South-South people at a unity rally organized by the South-South Peoples Assembly (SSPA) in Benin City, Edo State, Saturday, that when the North came up with figures showing what would accrue to the South-South with a 50 per cent increase in derivation, they thought they had won the argument and were rejoicing.
He said the South-South which went with the best of materials met and came up with figures to show that "the North-West contributes nothing to the national coffers, nothing at all; North-East, the same thing, North-Central, the same thing, South-East, 2.5 per cent, South-West, 3.6 per cent, South-South zone, 91.5 per cent. Then the question was: you do not contribute anything to the national coffers, why are you telling us what you have to give us, we have to give you. So this was the debate."
He said that after the presentation of these figures, "the Northern delegates in particular became weak and those from the South-West and South-East came back to support us we walked out when instead of allowing the delegates who were by then better informed to debate the matter, the chairman of the conference, who was misled to believe that we reached a consensus, allowed members of that same committee that did not reach a consensus to move a motion and when we wanted to speak, we were refused and at that juncture, we walked out."
Chief Clark said that even though some of the delegates turned chameleon and disappointed the South-South, the zone did not lose the battle for derivation at the conference because an infallible case was presented. The zone succeded in bringing resource control to the fore front of national discourse and would continue to fight for 50 per cent derivtion.
The unity rally which witnessed the presentation of certificates to South-South governors and delegates to the conference for their effective representation of the zone was for the first time not attended by any of the South-South governors. Only the deputy governors of Edo and Rivers state, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe and Sir Gabriel Tobi were present.