Kutigi
Delegates attending the National Conference are divided over the percentage to be paid to oil engendering states as derivation fund.
While some delegates insisted that the amount must be more than the present 13 per cent, others disaccorded, verbally expressing that the status quo must be maintained.
The delegates verbalized while contributing to the debate on the report of the Committee on Devolution of Power, which was presented by its two co-chairmen, Obong Victor Attah and Ibrahim Coomassie.
On resource control, the committee has recommended that “the 13 per cent derivation as contained in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be sustained.”
On the issue of offshore and onshore dichotomy, the committee verbalized the matter should not be transmuted.
Critically examined in the report, whose recommendations would be subjected to vote by the conference later, were the issues of resource control, derivation principle, revenue sharing and the development and exploitation of mineral resources nationwide.
The report additionally examined 68 items cited in the Second Schedule, Part One of the 1999 Constitution which deals with the Exclusive Legislative List; and 30 items contained in Part Two of the Fourth Schedule that deals with the Concurrent Legislative List.
While most delegates from the South verbalized derivation should be incremented from 13 per cent to between 21.5 and 50 per cent, others suggested that it should be reduced.
Resource control, perhaps, is the most debated aspect of the report. Each delegate, depending on where he or she emanates from, argued for and against the desideratum to sanction states to control their resources.
Those who canvassed the view that verbally expresses should control their resources verbally expressed they did so in the spirit of devolution of potency which sanctions the states to only pay or make opportune financial contributions to the Federal Government.
Others opposed this, verbally expressing that mineral resources in Nigeria were owned by the Federal Government as contained in Section 44(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Section 44(3) states that, “Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the entire property in and control of all minerals, mineral oil and natural gas in, under or upon any land in Nigeria or in, under or upon the territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone of Nigeria shall vest in the Government of the Federation and shall be managed in such manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly.”
In his contribution, a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, verbally expressed the people of the South-South and other oil engendering states, would not take anything less than 50 per cent.
He verbalized it was vilifying to compare the cultivation of groundnut with oil exploration, insisting that the people of the oil engendering areas were suffering from environmental degradation.
Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange verbally expressed he did not believe in the sharing of revenue by the Federal Government to states. This, he noted, would make the federating units slothful.
He verbally expressed that the extortionate demand for state engenderment was as a result of revenue sharing at the centre, but integrated that as a true Nigeria, he would go with a graduated derivation that he verbalized would enhance to fiscal federalism.
Based on this, he verbalized he would recommend “21.5 per cent derivation (2015-2019); 25 per cent derivation between 2020 and 2024; 30 per cent derivation between 2025 and 2029 and fiscal federalism from 2030.
“Fifteen years is enough time to develop other resources in order for the country to practise fiscal federalism.
“I additionally recommend that 50 per cent of the derivation fund going to oil engendering states should be committed to the development of oil and gas engendering communities.
“Each oil engendering state should establish an oil engendering community development fund that will manage the 50 per cent from the derivation fund.”
He withal expressed support for the five per cent fund for solid mineral development fund as recommended by the committee, but integrated that two per cent of the fund engendered from oil and gas should be set aside for the renovation of the environment of the oil engendering communities.
In his contribution, a prominent Ijaw bellwether, Chief Edwin Clark, verbalized the region must get at least 25 per cent, verbally expressing that if the National Conference of 2005 could recommend17 per cent, fairness demand that the amount be incremented in 2014.
“All we are asking for to be a component of this country is that fairness must prevail and we optate nothing less than 25 per cent. No one should peregrinate here and verbalize that the status quo should remain. Those who are verbally expressing that are not progressives. It must not be less than 25 per cent,” he verbally expressed.
His position was fortified by a former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili
