Posted by By Chidiebere Iwuoha on
Hon. Declan Mbadiwe Emelumba of Oru West State constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly is in full support of South-South delegates demand of 25% Oil derivation.
Hon. Declan Mbadiwe Emelumba of Oru West State constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly is in full support of South-South delegates demand of 25% Oil derivation.
For him, "there is nothing wrong with the demand they are making. They demanded for a reasonable percentage, not a greedy percentage, to enable them address some peculiar problems in their areas. The fact that they still want the Federal Government to take the lion share means that they are still interested in the federation. So there is nothing wrong in that. And I think that all right thinking people should support them and I want to believe that I support them."
The Oru West representative who rejoined his colleagues after months of suspension, said what he expected the National Confab to address was the issue of being an indigene of a particular place based on residence in a particular place for a long time, paying one's taxes, which would make one have that place as home. He gave example with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and some Igbos who lived, contested and won elections in the West before independence. He however admitted that the Confab delegates did fine, and that it was not an easy task especially when the period they were asked to do the job was considered.
The honourable member who described the less number of states (5) in South-East zone as against other zones as "enough injustice" wants the new state to be created in Imo State, because it was only Anambra and Imo States that had not been touched for some time now. "And Anambra, I believe, are not asking for another state", he stated.
Also airing his view on the stand of the North that Rotational presidency should be allowed to rotate between the North and the South instead of along the six geo-political zones, he condemned the stand and added that the Southern and Northern regions were no longer in existence. "It is a long, long time it existed. Even the middle belt people know it does not exist and know it will not work out."