South-South leaders insist on 2007 presidency, caution on Bakassi
From Eno-Abasi Sunday, Calabar
THE South-South geo-political zone of the country says its resolve to produce the next president remains non-negotiable.
The zone has also opposed the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroun unless the indigenes of the oil-rich area so decide under a plebiscite.
The leaders also called for a 50 per cent derivation formula for sharing national resources, while urging the Northern and South-West states that instituted a suit against the oil law to drop it in the interest of national unity.
They equally backed calls for national conference to resolve Nigeria's problems.
The stance of the zone was unveiled yesterday in Calabar, Cross River State, where its leaders met to brainstorm and fashion out its agenda for the coming years.
In a position paper presented by Dr. Kalada Dick Iruevabere, the people said "today we are speaking with one voice, working towards the emergence of a strong and united South-South which will become a political and economic power bloc in the Nigerian scheme of things in the very near future.
"Our structures will be at national, state, senatorial, local council, ward and community levels, so as to give everybody in the zone a sense of belonging. We shall also establish structures in other zones within and outside the country, which will be used to woo people from these zones and the international community towards the fulfilment of our goals and aspirations," he added.
At the forum, which was the inaugural one, the spokesman said "this body will pursue vigorously and unequivocally the issue of a South-South President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its attainment in 2007. This is because since the independence of this country, nobody from the South-South has been given the opportunity of being President, Head of State or Head of Government whereas every other geo-political zone has had at least a shot."
Iruevabere added that besides working fervently for the enthronement of true federalism in which fiscal federalism is fully implemented with the derivation principle of revenue sharing at the post-independence level of 50 per cent and more, the South-South will also explore available ways of preventing the ceding of any part of the zone to any other zone or country.
The zone opposed the amendment of the NDDC Act by the National Assembly as craved by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to them, this will "obviously reduce the contributory funding from the oil companies and the Federal Government, while increasing the contributions of the states which by implication reduce their revenue.
On the onshore/offshore suit instituted by the 19 northern governors and others at the Supreme Court, the zone described the issue as "provocative, inflammatory, and vexatious to the people," saying it will use every legitimate means to ensure that the onshore/offshore Abrogation Act is not tinkered with by the judiciary.
Former Information Minister and one of the conveners, Chief Edwin Clark, in his remarks expressed bitterness at the way the South-South region has been treated by previous administrations, a development he described as a rape of the zone.
According to him, a situation where "our kids who go for National Youth Service and return bare-handed while those kids sent here are pushed into oil firms, creates a picture which seems to say the nearer you are to oil the poorer you are.
"As a people, there is need for us to meet from time to time to celebrate our existence in Nigeria and to fight for our rights which have been trampled on for too long."
Clark, who received a standing ovation during his address appealed to all and sundry to find lasting solutions to the problems of the zone.
He cautioned those who have been in the habit of betraying the zone in the past to have a change of heart or face the wrath of the people.
His words: "Be a committed South-South person, don't be a traitor and let the spoil of office divide us. Anybody who is not sincere with our coming together will fall by the wayside. Let us work with our governors and let them work with us. Let our governors also make sacrifices and fight against forces that are against us."
Speaking in the same vein, Governor Donald Duke said no elected president has assumed office "without our support even as our resources can be likened to the sun without which there may be no life on Earth."
Continuing, he said: "We are tired of supporting and now need to take the lead. We should now take ourselves seriously because if we do not, others will not. As a people, we have a lot of job to do."
Duke charged the forum to come up with a declaration that will bequeath "to our children an abiding legacy."
