An alleged plot by some northern members of the House of Representatives to expunge the 13 percent Derivation Fund from the 1999 Constitution has ignited tension in the Niger Delta region.
The leadership of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF) on Friday convened an emergency General Assembly meeting of leaders of the South-South region to deliberate on and take possible actions over the plan.
According to an invitation letter to the South-South General Assembly meeting, signed by PANDEF’s National Chairman, Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, who is a former Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, the agenda of the meeting is on the “Bill to delete Sub- section 2, Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), sponsored by 59 Northern members of the House of Representatives.”
The Bill, according to its author and also co-sponsored by Hon. Babangida Ibrahim and 58 other lawmakers, “seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as altered), to facilitate the effectiveness of Nigeria’s Fiscal Federalism 2021.”
Similarly, some Ijaws of the Niger Delta, under the aegis of the Ijaw National Congress, (INC), have warned the North to ‘let the sleeping dog lie’.
National President of INC, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, who gave the warning in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday, said such an attempt was an invitation to chaos and anarchy.
While quoting a portion of the 1963 Republican Constitution of the country that borders on how revenues were shared at a time the country depended mainly on agricultural produce from States of the federation, the INC described the lawmakers as not being conversant with history in tinkering with the affairs of the Constitution.
“We challenge them to stop at nothing to ensure that the Section 162 Subsection 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) is deleted without hesitation”, it stated.
All efforts made to reach the lawmakers whose names were listed on the Bill proved abortive.
Those expected at the South-South general meeting, scheduled to hold on Monday, October 25, via Zoom include serving and former State governors across South-South and other leaders, Speakers
and members of the National Assemblies of the South-South States from the region, serving and past.
Others are former governors and top political officeholders; leadership of oil and gas host communities; leaders of ethnic youth organisations; leaders of relevant CSOs, CBOs, women and youth groups in the region as well as other strategic stakeholders.
