UYO —
NIGER-DELTA leaders under the auspices of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, have
inaugurated a committee to hold talks with the six governors of the
South-South
region, persuade them to settle their political differences without delay and
act as a team, henceforth, in the interest of the region.
The committee
headed by a former military governor of Akwa Ibom State, Air Commodore
Idongesit Nkanga (retd.) was set up at the last meeting of PANDEF at Kiagbodo,
Delta State and has taken preliminary steps to reach out to the governors.
NDV
learned that PANDEF, comprising monarchs, leaders and stakeholders of the
coastal states of the Niger Delta
region, was not only troubled about the disunity among the governors, but their
perceived lack of political will and understanding of the need to ensure
regional economic growth.
Regional economic growth A source said: “The leaders are also concerned about
how the governors spend the 13 per cent derivation funds accruing to the six
states of the South-South region under Section 162 (95) of the 1999
Constitution without adequate regard to the producing communities,” adding: “So
far, it is only three states, Edo, Delta and Ondo that have constituted a body
to manage these funds. They set up the BRACED Commission, but they are not
funding it, all the projects that they agreed have been abandoned and this is
affecting development in the region.” It was learned that the reality dawned on
South-South leaders lately that as important as the much-canvassed dialogue
with the Federal Government is, they must first get the governors, who are the
political leaders of the region to work in unity before they can successfully
pursue the course of the region with the federal government. Some former
governors of the South-South were also reaching out to the current governors to
listen to the voice of the people, rejuvenate the South-South Governors Forum,
SSGF, and make their contributions to the BRACED Commission, the development
agency that was left unfunded because of executive infighting. However, some
stakeholders blame the state of things on what they described as political
immaturity of the governors, but they also recommended a way out. Elders
working behind the scene —Nkanga Air Commodore Nkanga, who heads the PANDEF
committee, told NDV: “It is something that we, elders of the region, have been
talking about, it is a drawback in the region and this has caused some
concerns. We have shown concern and we also talked to them that they can help
each other; that they can sit down and discuss certain things instead of
everybody trying to go alone. Floating an airline “They used to meet for
economic purposes on the BRACED platform, but recently, I do not think they are
meeting. Maybe they do not see the need for that, but there are issues of
common interest. In the South- South, there are resources, which if put
together will make the region strong. For example it is the region that does
not have state-to-state services by railway.” Nkanga asserted: “You know how
they did the Nigeria railways, from the north, it crosses down to Lagos and
then in the east, it crosses from Enugu to Port-Harcourt. There was even a time
we thought about floating an airline that will service the South-South since we
do not have a railway and the roads are so bad. That is why we have been crying
about the East-West Road. “And of course, each state tries to secure itself,
but if the governors are working together, the impact will be more. The
criminals will know that there is no hiding place for them in the region. But
as it is, if Akwa Ibom is too hot for them, they will move to Cross River State
or Rivers, so they can agree in the area of security. One major problem that is
affecting the region is the oil exploration and exploitation, and if they do
not speak with one voice, and each of them trying to go alone, they cannot make
any impact. So they need that interaction and cooperation.” Fragile regional
entity: National president of South-South Solidarity Forum, SSSF, Dr. Umoh,
said: “There has always been a crack among our leaders, not only the governors,
but also members of the National Assembly. And I call that political immaturity
and ineptitude on their part. We members of the SSSF always wonder why the
governors would not see the need to converge to discuss the regional problems,
for instance the renewed militancy and agitations in the region. There is need
for integration of all the states of the South- South people because what is
holding them together as a regional entity is weak.” FG intimidating govs –
Nwoko Akwa-Ibom State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr
Uwemedimo Nwoko, however, disagreed that the governors were not working
together, saying the constant intimidation and harassment of outspoken Rivers
State governor, Wike, by federal government agencies was enough to make other
governors of the region, who are mostly members of the People’s Democratic
Party, PDP, not to speak up in order not to fall into the same trap. His words,
“I will not believe that the governors are not working together and I do not
think the perception that they are not working together is correct. They have
regular interactions, it may not really have a formal meeting and all that, but
I believe that they a way of interfacing with themselves very regularly in the
interest of the region and the nation at large. “Very recently, you found out
that in virtually all their engagements, the Rivers State governor is
interacting with the Akwa Ibom State governor and Akwa Ibom State governor is
interacting with Cross River, Bayelsa, and Delta governors and they are all
working together. “For instance, the governors have been working with the
elders and other stakeholders in the region trying as much as possible to talk
to the youths not to overreact in the face of injustice against the region
because whether anybody accepts it or not, the reaction of the youths is a
reaction against injustice. And it takes a lot to talk to them not to over
react.” Nwoko decried a situation where some outspoken governors in the region
such as Wike of Rivers State were being harassed and intimidated on regular
basis by the federal agencies, saying those were among the reasons others
appeared to be silent over certain issues affecting the region. In danger of
extinction: “They may not want to talk about some issues because they are
endangered species. So the governors may feel that if they take the same step
like Wike they will fall into the same trap and they have representatives at
the National Assembly and they have been talking. “Somebody like Amaechi was a
governor of Rivers State for eight years and now he is a Minister of
Transportation. What is he doing? There are other people that have been
appointed into position by the ruling party at the federal level, so what are
they are doing to protect the interest of this region,” he queried. Asked if
the state of affairs among the governors was not affecting regional
development, Nwoko said, “There is no development in the region, so saying that
it is affecting regional development is a lot of grammar without substance. The
region is being punished by the federal government agencies, which are not
sending back commiserate reward to the states of the region.” Bond together:
Two -time Commissioner in Bayelsa State, human rights/environmental activist
and president, Ijaw Professionals Association, (Homeland chapter) Barrister
Inuiro Wills, said: “I would like to point more at the way forward than at the
problem, except to say it seems some of the governors, like most of their
predecessors, are too self-absorbed to be visionary, optimal and focused on a
strategic sustainable development agenda for their states and region. Economic
integration “Also, some (pre-and post-2015) are wedded more to their respective
political party interests and how to position as the most powerful men for
their parties (both PDP and APC), rather than how to give our states and region
the competitive edge. We are rapidly losing time and advantage, but hope is not
completely lost. The way forward is regional economic integration, apart from
addressing the internal felt needs of each state. Thankfully, all the
South-South or Niger Delta governors are energetic men, and if they decide
today to bond together and place the region above their parties, some
foundation can still be laid before the incumbents serve out their current
and/or second terms in office.” Downplay PDP, APC: His words: “Specifically,
amongst other measures, they should very urgently revive the BRACED Commission
and take advantage of NDDC and the other Niger Delta focused organizations to come
up with an actionable outline for regional economic integration. Let them
relegate APC and PDP to second position for once and consider themselves first
as inherent members of a hypothetical ‘Niger Delta Development Party of
Nigeria’. He asserted: “It is a plus that at least two of them (governors of
Akwa Ibom and Edo), being former top bankers, understand the cosmopolitan
language of investment and development finance. One simple healthy challenge
they should bear in mind is that the development in just Lekki over the last 15
years (forget the rest of Lagos: Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Mainland, etc) is far
more than what all the governors of the six South-South states, from 1999 till
date, have been able to achieve in their states combined. Let them go figure
that out. Priority on environmental protection, management: “Secondly, they
need to urgently place priority on environmental protection and management. The
environmental holocaust in the Niger Delta is attributable first and foremost
to the failure of successive Niger Delta governors to appreciate that they are
the chief environmental trustees of their states. The next culprit is the
Federal Government, particularly successive Presidents and Ministers of
National Planning and Finance, for also not understanding the place of
environmental integrity in any sustainable (socio-economic) development and
human security framework. FG’s 2017 budget is the most recent proof of that.
“The recklessness of oil and gas companies and other environmental polluters in
Nigeria happens only because our governments, state and federal, out of
ignorance and compromise allow them to destroy our environment and go scot
free. Our governors should note that environmental soundness is explicit in
over half of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. “That the Niger Delta is
the certifiable pollution capital of planet earth is because our state
governors and our presidents, especially since 1999 till date, have never acted
or cared to ask how they can use their very wide constitutional powers to
quickly arrest the environmental destruction and secure satisfactory redress
for our communities. Once our governors (and presidents) wake up from their
slumber, the madness will stop. Very simple,” he said.
Vanguardngr
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