Senate May Still Create States –Mark. President of the Senate, David Mark, has told Nigerians agitating for creation of new states that the issue had not been foreclosed by the National Assembly. Mark gave the assurance while addressing angry Idoma people under the aegis of Idoma National Forum, INF, who visited him at his Apo, Abuja residence at the weekend. He said though in its report, the Senate Committee on Constitution Review dismissed all the requests for new states for not meeting the constitutional requirements of the 1999 Constitution, particularly Section 8, there were still opportunities for the National Assembly to revisit the matter. According to him, the major impediment to the creation of new states is Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, which makes the exercise very cumbersome. The Senate president, however, assured that the process was being streamlined to make it less cumbersome. He said: “I have never minced words about my position for the creation of additional states. It is not that we cannot live together with our brothers and sisters but I am a firm believer that state creation will bring more development and progress nearer to the people. “You should continue with the agitation for state creation and work towards meeting the requirements. I am sure that when the conditions are met, states would be created. “Milk may have been spilled but not fallen over. There is still a window and the National Assembly will hearken to the yearnings and aspirations of the citizenry.” Mark urged the people to continue to maintain peace and unity and promised to continue to be good ambassador of Idoma nation, Benue State and Nigeria at all times. He promised that his actions and deeds would be guided by the fear of God, fairness, objectivity and the rule of law. Earlier, the President of the Idoma National Forum, Dr. Okopi Alex Momoh, urged the National Assembly to review requests for the creation of states, pointing out that with over 61 requests, something must be wrong with the management of states in the country. Momoh appealed to the National Assembly to investigate and verify the claims for state creation in order to address the issue and feelings of most Nigerians. He praised Mark for providing quality leadership in the Senate and being a worthy representative of the Idoma nation. Meanwhile, Mark has reiterated the need for full insurance coverage for journalists because of the violent and unfriendly environment they operate. The Senate president spoke against the background of the increasing number of journalists, who have died recently because of their political reports and coverage of crisis-prone areas. Speaking while declaring open a two-day retreat for Senate Correspondents in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, at the weekend, Mark said proper insurance for journalists was imperative because in the event that something happened to any journalist, he or she would be properly taken proper care of. He also appealed to the Senate Correspondents to raise their reportage of the activities of the Upper Chamber because, according to him, they are the eyes with which the country sees the lawmakers. National Mirror.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 11:08:33 +0000
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