New states possible, if … –Ekweremadu • How Shell, others can return to Ogoni – Bori state agitators … Adada proponents take Senate to court From ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI, Abuja In a new twist of events, Chairman of the Senate Constitution Review Committee (CRC), Ike Ekweremadu, said in Abuja at the weekend that creation of new states is still possible provided agitators fulfill the provisions of section 8 of the 1999 Constitution. He stated said this when he received a delegation of Bori State Movement in Abuja led by Second Republic senator, Dr. Cyrus Nunieh Gbene, with a request for the creation of Bori from the present Rivers State. Dr. Gbene said granting of their request would guarantee resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland. Besides the battle for the creation of Adada State, from Enugu State, went up a notch when Ekweremadu’s kinsmen sued the CRC. Ekweremadu, who is the Deputy Senate President, represents Enugu East. Speaking when he received the delegation, Ekweremadu said that the committee would sit next week to consider the Bori state request. Should the request fulfills constitutional provisions, Ekweremadu assured the team that the National Assembly would then forward it to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for further work in conducting a referendum on the matter. His words: “I’m aware, or rather, I’m told that one of those agitating for states have taken the matter to court. They are from my state. Instead of doing the right thing, they prefer to go to court to waste state resources in the name of getting the court to compel us to do our work. It doesn’t work that way… “I would like to use this opportunity also, to call on all those who are seeking for states to take a cue from what you’ve done today, to go and look at their papers, update them and if they still want the state, they should as much as possible, send their requests and we would be happy to process them and do what we need to do. “Having received your request, I can assure you that we are going to convene a full meeting of the Constitution Review Committee in the Senate to have a look at it and then, we will get our technical people to look at it as well, compare it with the provisions of the constitution and once we are satisfied that you’ve met the requirements of the constitution, we would be more than eager to advise the National Assembly to send your request to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do their own bit because they have a responsibility in this regard, namely; to conduct a referendum and that, we would be happy to do,” he said. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Magnus Ngei Abe, who led the delegation to the meeting with the Senate CRC noted that Senator Gbene had been very instrumental to the fight for creation of Bori state. Presenting the request, Sen. Gbene informed the CRC which included Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), his deputy, Abdul Ningi, Minority Whip Ganiyu Solomon, that only the creation of Bori state could guarantee resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland by Shell and other oil companies. He noted that in addition to bringing lasting peace to the area, those who agitated for new states at the same time as Bori, including Ekiti, Ebonyi, Gombe, at the 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference were granted their wishes in 1996, leaving out only the Ogoni people and their neighbours. Gbene, who laced his presentation with humour and wit, said that when created, Bori state would comprise Khana, Gokhana, Tai, Eleme, Opobo/Nkoro, Oyigbo and Andoni local government areas made up of Ogoni, Andoni, Opobo, Nkoro, Oyigbo and Eleme nationality. His words: “As a Second Republic senator (1979-1983), I consider it a great privilege that you’ve given me the opportunity to address you as the representative of the Ogoni people. We have come here and we started coming here when the issue of creation of states started. “In 1996, that was even the second time we would be demanding for the creation of Bori state. That was when the demand for Ogoni state was coined and it was approved. The history is explicitly stated in our memorandum which we have submitted to you. In 1996, the Constitution Reform Conference recommended 35 requests for creation of states among which Ogoni East Rivers was approved. That was the name then. “Many that were recommended alongside Ogoni East Rivers, like Gombe, Zamfara, Ekiti, Ebonyi are now states. So, my colleagues in the Senate lobbied me to support them and I did. When my own came, they also supported me. The drama over why Ogoni East Rivers was not created is still a mystery. “But under this dispensation now, we are no longer putting forward that name because states in Nigeria are not created on ethnic or tribal basis. We have accommodated neighbouring people who have worked together for the peace and development of this country. “So, we have now seven local government areas and as our representative, Senator Magnus Abe listed them earlier, they comprise Khana, Gokhana, Tai, Eleme, Oyibo and Andoni. We are all together. “So, I am appealing to this Senate that to every rule, there is an exception. There are arguments out there in the media that even some of the states created cannot sustain themselves but we cannot be a permanent colony to the rest of the country. “We are not thinking of forming a country of our own. Bori State Movement is for the peace, development and unity of Nigeria. We want this country to blossom. Please, we will like you to join our representative in the Senate, Senator Abe, whatever is the case, to help us because creation of this state is the permanent cure to the problem in Ogoniland. “The permanent cure to the problems in Ogoni is to create this state. Shell is not operating in that place. No grammar, no force can compel our people to permit oil exploration. We have oil fields, the viability aspect is there, think of the industries in our area, comprising the refineries, the seaports, Onne refinery and we have oil and gas which have been confirmed that we have not even started to explore. “I am begging you to please, consider our request because those who have states now will tell you that there is no need to create new states…We have several oil fields, power stations…Ogoniland is so tense. Let us look for what we can do to have peace. One of the secrets for peace in the area is to create this state. It will also help Nigeria as a whole.” In his response, Ekweremadu reiterated that the National Assembly was desirous of new states if only to break the myth that only military regimes can create states. “We want to see a state or states created, being a democratic dispensation. When we started the process of Constitution amendment in 2010, nobody gave it a chance. They felt it was too cumbersome to be achieved but by the grace of God, we were able to achieve it. We did it in 2010, we did it the second time, the third time and the one we are doing now is the fourth one. “Going forward, basically, by next week, we will be constituting our conference committee that would now harmonize the position of the Senate with those of the House of Representatives and then, we will have a single document which we would of course, table before the two houses and once those documents receive two-thirds vote in the Senate and the House of Representatives, we will be more than eager to send it to the state Houses of Assembly for their own concurrence, in furtherance to the provisions of the Constitution. “The issue of Constitution amendment is alive, it’s on-going and we will pursue it to a logical conclusion. What you’ve done today is the right step in the right direction,” said Ekweremadu.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 18:57:23 +0000
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