ASABA — MEMBERS of the Delta State House of Assembly yesterday passed a resolution calling on the 19 Northern and two South-West states to withdraw their lawsuit challenging the abrogation of the on-shore/off-shsore dichotomy in the interest of national unity and cohesion.
Also, the Delta State chapter of the Niger Delta Movement for Peace and Development, led by Mr. Toju Binitie has strongly condemned the legal action, saying that “the action of the Northern states and their Southern collaborators was not in the interest of the corporate existence of Nigeria, moreso that it goes against all tenets of national unity and cohesion.”
The motion which came under matters of urgent public importance during the sitting of the house yesterday was moved by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Pius Ewherido and was unanimously passed.
The motion reads: “I simply move that this honourable House re-affirms its commendation of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo for signing into law the onshore/offshore Dichotomy Bill and also calls on the 22 governors of the various states of Nigeria to withdraw the suit in the interest of national unity and cohesion.”
Moving the motion, Ewherido remarked that “when the Federal Government came up, after so much agitations, with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), we jubilated to a point because we felt that at least it was one palliative measure. When the 13 per cent derivation principle was implemented by giving us half, we also jubilated because we believed that half bread was better than none and when both Houses of the National Assembly went on to pass the Dichotomy Bill, we also jubilated even though we disagreed with the calculation on nautical miles with regards to benefits. Again, when the President signed it into law, our belief then was that gradually we are begining to see light at the end of the tunnel, but our hopes are being truncated”, he stated.
He went on to say that, “I am not interested in what they (northern governors) will achieve in the legal sphere, what I am interested in is national unity and cohesion. If the 22 governors of this country now connive to ambush our hope, I am sure it is something that is dangerous to national unity and cohesion.”
Also commenting on the motion before it was passed, the Speaker, Mr. Daniel Igbrude remarked that “the survival of all the states in Nigeria, the survival of all the local governments in Nigeria depends on the oil coming from the Niger Delta because there could have been no need to create any state if there was no oil, there could have been no need to create any local government if there was no oil because if you check their internally generated revenue, it is nothing in some states, zero in some local governments, so if governors want to disintegrate this country, I think this is the best time to call them to give them caution.”
