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From
Left: Guest Speaker, Ayo Adebanjo; Founder Igbo Youth Movement (IYM), Elliot
Uko; Former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme; former Governor of
Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife; former Minister of Information, Prof.
Jerry Gana; former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi and Guest, Dr.
Arthur Nwankwo during the 17th IYM Annual Convention In Enugu on Sunday
(12/6/16). 4200/12/6/2016/MAG/HB/NAN/
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A prominent female
activist from the Niger Delta, Ankio Briggs, on Sunday condemned the Niger
Delta Avengers for attacking oil and gas pipelines and installations in the
region.
The
News Agency of Nigeria report continues:
Ms.
Briggs, a close ally of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, said the avengers were
from Somalia and not Nigeria.
The
Avengers have claimed responsibility for recent attacks on oil and power
installations in the Niger Delta. The attacks have reduced almost by half
Nigeria’s oil production and caused darkness across the country by destroying
pipelines that supply gas to power stations.
Ms.
Briggs spoke in Enugu at the 17th Annual Convention of the Igbo Youth Movement,
IYM, with the theme `Nigeria, still in pursuit of true fiscal federalism’.
She
also condemned the recent murder by an irate mob of a woman, Bridget Agbamihe,
in Kano for blasphemy as well as herdsmen attacks in Nimbo, Enugu State and
other parts of the country.
Also
speaking at the event, Alex Ekwueme, Second Republic Vice-President, and a
former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana called for true federalism and
devolution of powers to the states.
They
said that restructuring and resource control by regions was a panacea to end
acts of uprising across the country.
The
former vice-president, who chaired the event, said that the British
colonialists had earlier divided the country to enable each region control and
manage its resources without interference.
“The
British colonial masters divided the country in such a way that every region
will operate within its constitution,” he said.
The
guest speaker and former Information Minister, Jerry Gana, said that the key
solution to Nigeria’s problem was through true federalism and devolution of
powers to states.
“True
fiscal federalism is the only form of association that will allow peace and
stability in the country and each region should be allowed to manage its
resources the way they want it,” Mr. Gana said.
He
noted that the formula for allocating revenue made the Federal Government to
get richer while the states operated like beggars.
“States
should be allowed to manage its resources to enable them govern their people
the way they want and allocate some percentage to the Federal Government.
“Government
should not be far from the people and the federating unit should be made strong
to meet the needs of the people,” he said.
Mr.
Gana recommended continuous dialogue and the implementation of the resolutions
of national confab by the government as the only means the recent agitation and
other national demand could be handled.
A
Yoruba leader, Ayo Adebanjo, said that the various acts of political
instability in the country were because the constitution under which the
country was governed was not good for heterogeneous country like Nigeria.
“To
put a stop at the various uprising in the country such as Niger Delta Avengers,
MASSOB, IPOB etc, our constitution needs to be changed to allow for
restructuring of the country under true federalism.
Earlier,
the founder of IYM, Elliot Uko, said that the event was to honour prominent
Nigerians who had contributed to the growth and development of the country.
He
said Igbo youth were committed to building a stronger Nigeria and to reduce the
tension in the region, adding that true federalism would help the country to
grow and prosper.
The
highlight of the event was presentation of awards to Messrs. Gana, Adebayo,
detained Biafra secessionist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and Ms. Briggs.
The event was also attended by former governors of Anambra, Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Peter Obi, and students from tertiary institutions in the South-East.
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