|
New Page 5
Southern Govs. summit: Igbinedion carpets FG over Anambra
crisis
VINCENT ADEKOYE, Benin
EDO State
Governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion has criticized the Federal Government over its
inability to provide adequate security as well as the apparent inaction towards
ending political crises in some parts of the country with Anambra State as a
case in point.
He warned that this growing disquieting
trend of resorting to unbridled violence as a means of seeking redress for
perceived wrongs and achieving political advantage is capable of aborting the
present political dispensation if not urgently checked.
Chief Igbinedion stated this yesterday in
Benin, Edo State capital at the opening of the 8th Summit of the Southern
Governors Forum holding in Benin City.
The governor whose address centred
principally on the need to curtail the widespread political violence across the
nation, pointed out that the only solution will be the setting up of state
police.
Chief Igbinedion said, "The endemic nature
of these problems calls to question the appropriateness or otherwise of the
methodologies adopted by the Federal Government to address the issues.
"One major factor responsible for the
widespread security lapses is the inability of elected Governors to take full
control over the security operatives in their respective states.
"In a situation where all the security
operatives are under the total control of the Federal Government, the elected
Governors as Chief Security Officers can only function "as toothless bulldogs".
"The experience of our colleague in
Anambra State has further justified the long-drawn agitation for state police.
"I would like again to invite attention to
the sad experience of our dear brother, His Excellency, Dr. Chris Ngige over the
inexcusable acts of wanton violence and avoidable destruction of lives and
property visited on Anambra State.
"The Federal Government owes it a sacred
duty to the people of this nation to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to
book in the interest of peace, justice and fairplay", Chief Igbinedion said.
He cautioned on the need to check the use
of unguarded inflammatory statements that are capable of unduly heating up the
polity by politicians seeking political offices in 2007.
The governor advised his fellow governors
to face the challenge of meeting the basic needs of the electorate, adding that,
"let us strive to build hope, in our people and faith in the political system,"
he said.
The meeting thereafter entered into a
closed session.
As at the time of writing this report, a
total of 12 state governors and two deputy governors.
Their governors had arrived for the
summit. They are, Chief Bola Tinubu (Lagos), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Olagunsoye
Oyinlola (Osun), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Donald Duke (C. Rivers), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun),
Chimaroke Nnammani (Enugu), Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), DSP Alamaseigha (Bayelsa), James
Ibori (Delta), Olusegun Agagu (Ondo) and Dr. Chris Ngige of Anambra State whose
appearance at the meeting stirred the banquet hall of the Edo State government
house, venue of the meeting.
The deputies are Sir Gabriel Tobi, who
represented the Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peters Odili and Mr. Chigozie Ogbu
who stood in for Governor Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State.
|
