Group Raises Observation over FG, South-South Stakeholders’ Meeting

By 247thirdeye   

South-South based sociopolitical cum cultural regional pressure group, BRACED UNION has raised some fundamental observations arising from the stakeholders meeting held in Port Harcourt, River State last Tuesday between the South-South leaders and the Federal Government delegation led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambiri.

While the seven-point demands by the South-South Governors as highlighted by the Governor of Delta State Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, looks good on paper it still leaves much to be desired as there were no time lines and ultimatum issued for these demands to be met.

This was contained in a press statement by the body endorsed by its National President, High Chief Monday Wehere, (JP).

According to him: “This is not the first time leaders of the region are demanding for restructuring, state police, true federalism, resource control or the completion of the East-West Road and adequate funding for NNDC amongst other demands.”

BRACED UNION calls on the South South governors to match words with action by insisting on specific time lines for these demands to be met or the federal government and multi-nationals risk facing sanctions from the region.

According to Wehere (JP), “We still see these demands – as laudable as they appear to be – as the usual rhetoric of lip service. All talk and no action. If the governors were serious, a mere apology by the federal delegation would not have been enough after the first meeting was botched. Immediate action and implementation of some of these demands would have been the best recipe.

“We call on the governors of the South-South to re-issue an ultimatum for these demands to be met and after which, if not met, economic sanctions shall be rolled out against the federal government and multi-nationals operating in the area. That is the only way the federal government shall sit up to his responsibility and not neglect the goose that lays the golden egg.”

The BU National President also raised the observation that the South-South leaders should have also frowned at the on-going romance between the country and its Republic of Niger counterpart where there is an ongoing plan to set up a refinery in Niger while those in the Niger Delta region are abandoned.