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Oil bill suit:: 22 govs’ action,
security threat — Govt
•ANPP moves against case
NDIDI OKAFOR, Abuja, CAJETAN MMUTA,
Asaba and TOM MOSES, Calabar
DELTA State Government has urged
the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the Niger Delta region to oppose the suit
instituted by the 22 governors against the Federal Government on the 13 per cent
derivation fund.
It said the case amounted to security threat.
This plea was made just as the Union of Niger Delta,
described the suit as a threat to the survival of the region.
Also, the National Chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP),
Chief Don Etiebet said yesterday that its seven governors would be prevailed
upon to withdraw from the controversial suit.
It would be recalled that 19 Northern
state governors and three of their counterparts in South-West had dragged both
the Presidency and the National Assembly to court seeking for the abrogation of
the on shore/off shore oil dichotomy in the sharing of national revenue to the
oil producing states.
But declaring open a one-day meeting of
executive members of NLC in the nine oil producing states in the Niger Delta in
Asaba yesterday, Secretary to the Delta State Government (SSG), Dr. Emmanuel
Uduaghan, said the 22 governor’s suit "is capable of worsening the security
situation in the country."
Dr. Uduaghan who said the state government
condemned the action of the 22 governors, described the suit as controversial
and unfortunate to the peace and unity of the country.
"The advocates of the vexed suit should
reconsider their position in the interest of all the zones," he said.
Also reacting to the Governors suit the
Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Union of Niger Delta said the entire people in
the region are opposed to the suit.
Addressing newsmen in Calabar, the Cross
River State Capital, the union said; "we are opposed to this misguided and
belligerent action of our Northern brothers to reverse the little progress we
have made in our long struggle for self-actualisation and human dignity."
The SSG however said the case was a
diversionary measure to strangulate the local stand of Niger Deltans in their
strong agitation for resource control and true federalism.
"The court case is very, very unfortunate
that they (governors) should go to court. We admonish our people to be peaceful.
We urge the 19 governors in the North and three from the West to have a re-think
in trying to revert what is being done.
"The court case is capable of causing
security problem in the country especially in the Niger Delta. They (governors)
should think of the interest of the country," he said.
He urged the NLC to mobilise Nigerians and
all its affiliates in the region (Niger Delta) to frustrate the suit reminding
them of Labour’s great feat in the struggle for resource control.
"We urge you to mobilise Labour in Niger
Delta to ensure the case does not see the light of the day. You had done it
before in the struggle for resource control, you can do it again and we are in
full support of you in this area," he added.
He commended Labour’s leadership approach
in crisis management capability which he said had equipped the state government
in effective control of crisis in the state.
He said the noble ideals of the NLC had
earned it great respect and appreciation from government.
He assured the congress of the state
government’s continued cordial relationship and efforts to boost industrial
harmony in the state.
Earlier, the co-ordinating chairman of the
body, Mr. Udoh Akpan, reiterated Niger Delta’s resolve to reject and resist
particularly any outcome not favourable to the region in the process of the
amendment of the Trade Unions Amendment Bill now before the National Assembly.
Mr. Akpan, however, criticised the
Presidency for sponsoring the bill which, he said, was retrogressive and
anti-people.
Chairman of the Union of Niger Delta,
Akwa-Ibom State Mr. Kingsley Ndedu who was flanked by his Secretary, Paul Ikorok,
on the occasion, vowed to resist all attempts to perpetually impoverish the
Niger Deltans.
The union wondered why the Northern
governors did not deploy the opportunities at their disposal to make input into
the bill abrogating the dichotomy before it was passed into law by the National
Assembly and assented to by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
"Their present action and posture are a
parallax that defies logic because they are capable of taking us backwards."
"It is not as if the onshore off-shore
abrogation legislation itself is anything fantastic, it is not, as it provides
for a mere 13 per cent derivation principle in sharing of national revenue and
for equality in what goes to the oil producing states.
But it was grudgingly accepted by the oil
producing states whose resources sustain this country as a compromise in the
interest of national unity and peace," Ndedu stated.
Also describing the suit as baffling and
shocking, Ndedu said there is the need for the convocation of a national
conference to comprehensively tackle the multifarious problems facing the
nation, especially, equity, fairness, justice and secularity of the country.
"When our oil money was used in building
Abuja which is situated in the north-central, we did not protest because we
looked at it as a worthy national project even as we were imporished in the
process," he said.
Meanwhile, at a press conference in Abuja,
Chief Etiebet said; "we will ensure that our governors withdraw from the suit."
However, he carpeted governors of the
South-South political zone whom he accused of not channeling "derivation
proceeds to the development of their states and that is why the youths are
restive."
He said the continued restiveness of the
youths had to do with alleged mismanagement of money allocated to the government
of the zones disclosing that "at least each state of the South-South get nothing
less than N5 billion a month while their counterparts get about N1.5 billion."
He said the suit arose because of the
alleged misappropriation of the funds and the fact that violent reactions abound
in the Niger Delta area.
"It is natural to let the governors to be
reacting since some of our governors are not using the derivation money well."
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