More obstacles are on the way for advocates of new states, despite the National Conference’s endorsement of their case.
The conference has endorsed the creation of 18 states. But, to many Nigerians, including some delegates to the conference, this is unnecessary.
According to them, creation of states is not the solution to Nigeria’s problems.
Youths delegates at the conference, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Vice President Isa Aremu, who also a member of the conference, Ijaw Youths Congress (IJC), House of Representatives Deputy Leader Leo Ogor, among others, rejected decision.
The conference on Thursday recommended the creation of an additional state for the Southeast and 17 other states.
The states are Ijebu, Aba, Katagum, Amana, Apa, Aioma, Savannah. Etiti, Njaba/Anim, Gurara, Ghari, Adada, New Oyo, Orashi, Ogoja and Kainji.
Delegates representing youths’ interest in a statement yesterday by Hassan Rilwan, Yadomah Bukar Mandara and Nnaemeka C. Ikegwuonu, said creating additional states would further divide the country rather than deepen its unity.
Besides, the youth delegates noted that cries of marginalisation by minority groups would be better resolved with power rotation and not states creation.
They said Nigerians should be concerned with a Nigeria in good state and not Nigeria with more states.
The statement said: “It was extremely embarrassing for us as delegates of the National Conference that approved the creation of 18 more states. What is happening in Nigeria?
“We understand the issues of marginalisation in some states; we support innovative ways of solving it. Not creating more problems to solve a problem.
“Does state creation solve the issues of marginalisation? What happens when others feel marginalised within the new states?
“Are we going to have to create even more states? Except we want to create states out of the over 300 ethnic groups in Nigeria. State creation as a solution is a short cut which is usually our way in Nigeria.
“The only reason the elite may want more states is to increase ease of access to power. If that’s the case, then rotation along senatorial zones with states and local governments would have solved that.
“What will solve marginalisation are responsible leaders who will take special interest in the affairs of the minorities to see that they are adequately catered for.
“How did the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello lead northern Nigeria as a whole? He did it by making sure all had a sense of belonging, which made the late Sunday Awoniyi, a Yoruba and Christian in the North, to respect him till he died.
“On one hand, we say we want to reduce cost of governance and on another we want to build 18 more government houses, create 18 more recurrent expenditure centres?
“We the youth of this country reject the balkanisation of our country and urge our elders to please thread with restrain. Let us not make mistakes that will prove more difficult for our children to solve.
“Let us think out of the box and factually allow justice and selfless leadership take centre stage in our country. Enough is Enough!”
Aremu, Vice Chairman, National Conference Committee on Labour, Civil Society, Sports and Youths, said more states were not sustainable. The states, as they are, remain dependent on federal allocation and loans because they are not financially viable.
Aremu, who spoke yesterday in Ilorin, said the creation of a state in the Southeast would enable the region, which has five states, to be at par with the other geo-political zones.
Ijaw youths expressed anger over the proposal, saying it is skewed to favour some nationalities to the detriment of Ijaw people.
The youths described their delegates at the National Conference as “docile without an agenda”.
Rising from an emergency meeting in Yenagoa at the weekend, the youths under the aegis of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, threatened to block oil exploration, insisting that “our oil won’t be used to develop the proposed new states”.
The youths said the conference had undermined all the requests and agitation of the Ijaw people, including their demand for the creation of Toru-Ebe and Oil Rivers State.
“The Ijaw made a request for the creation of two additional states, Toru-Ebe State from the present Delta, Edo and Ondo states and Oil Rivers State from the present Rivers and Akwa Ibom states,” IYC spokesman Eric Omare, said.
“However, the conference committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government recommended creation of additional 18 states across the country without considering the Ijaw requests.
“It is totally unacceptable for the Conference to recommend the creation of additional 18 states without considering the requests of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, which is Nigeria’s fourth largest tribe.
“The conference recommendations are geared towards empowering some ethnic nationalities to have more political control to the detriment of other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and in total disregard to the political marginalisation and oppression of the Ijaws of Delta, Edo and Ondo states,” he added.
Omare recalled that the Ijaws were the first to demand a region of their own, even before independence in 1960 when Nigeria had only three regions.
He said despite the creation of the existing 36 states in Nigeria, the Ijaws, who first demanded a region, has only one state, Bayelsa.
“If the conference recommendations are implemented, there would now be 54 to 55 states out of which the North would have 28 states; Yoruba: nine states; Ibos: nine states, with additional two to three in south-south.
“But Ijaw that is the fourth largest tribe that requested for a region of their own even before independence and their leader Major Isaac Boro declared a 12-Day Republic partly because of state creation would have only one state: Bayelsa State,” he said.
Ijaw youth leaders are to meet to reconsider the roles of the Ijaw delegates at the ongoing conference.
He said: “The IYC would not and will never allow Ijaw resources to be exploited to fund and develop other states to the detriment of the Ijaws.
“And without creation of Toru-Ebe and Oil Rivers State to liberate the politically oppressed Ijaws, the Ijaw people would have no other option than to reconsider their position in Nigeria.
“In the coming days, Ijaw Youth leaders would meet to take a position, especially to consider the role of Ijaw delegates at the ongoing National Confab, who have been docile without an agenda.”
The Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged (CENTREP) also knocked the conference for recommending the creation of additional states and the return to the old National Anthem.
The Executive Director, CENTREP, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, noted that the recommendations were not borne out of patriotic or nationalist consideration.
According to him, the conference was set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to discuss the problems that had retarded the growth of the country; and to proffer solutions to them.
He insisted that the National Anthem had never posed any problem to the country neither had it retarded the country’s growth.
Ikimi said returning to the old National Anthem, which “we had claimed in the past to be a colonial relic, is unacceptable as same would be likened to a dog going back to his vomit”.
“We make bold to say that creating 19 additional states to the existing 36 states is senseless, and the said recommendation should be jettisoned.
“The present scenario where two thirds of the 36 existing states in the Federation are not financially independent and viable as they depend solely on monthly allocations from the purse of the Federal Government for their survival is pitiable and, indeed, very sad.
“Many governors have had to complain in recent times of shortfalls in the monthly revenue allocations due their various states, which the Federal Government has attributed to dwindling level of crude oil revenue.
“Therefore, creating an additional 19 states to the existing 36 states would no doubt be chaotic. The above recommendation as in the instant case is what a country gets, when its leaders adopt the same mentality and methodology with which they used in creating a problem, to trying to solve the same problem,” he said.
Ogor said the resolutions of the National Conference must pass through the National Assembly because it has no constitutional backing or force of law.
He said efforts and resolutions of the Conference may end up being just a waste of time, as the issue of if or not to subject the resolutions to a referendum does not arise because the Constitution makes no provision for such.
Ogor said the fact that the delegates were selected and not elected “ by anybody”, and that their resolutions may pass for law only if “a new constitution is written.”
His words: “It would be more like a wasted effort because there is no way you can pass whatever they are doing into law without subjecting it to the process or modalities with which laws are made, except probably we are going to write a new constitution.
“There is no section of this constitution that gives room for what they call referendum. And you have the the provision of Section 1 sub 2 of the Constitution stipulating clearly that any law of Act that is inconsistent with the provision of the Constitution, is to the extent of that inconsistency null and void.
“The modality or methodology of making laws is clearly stipulated under the provision of Section 58 of our Constitution. So, how are you going to pass a law without following the 1999 Constitution? Are we going to set the 1999 Constitution aside?”
The lawmaker described the misunderstanding of issues, especially the powers of the National Assembly by the delegates as “unfortunate”.
“The Conference is there to articulate positions that will be presented to Mr. President, because first and foremost, lets know that the delegates to the Confab were not elected by anybody – they were selected.”
To Ogor, the concept of the National Conference is that the executive has the power to put a team together to discuss Nigeria because there are challenges, but the outcome must pass through the National Assembly.
