Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo boycott confab advisory committee session

The Presidential Advisory Committee on national dialogue, stakeholders interactive session was held on Friday in Akure, the Ondo State capital with absence of representatives from Osun, Ekiti, Oyo and Ogun states at the session The stakeholders are mainly from the hosting Ondo State. The session started far behind schedule and also witnessed a low turn out of the people. Earlier, a group, the Oodua Nationalist Coalition (ONAC) had staged a protest at the entrance of the venue of the event calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the representation to the proposed national conference should be drawn from various ethnic nationalities in the country. The group opined that in order to save time and tax payers money, each geo-political zone should hold its own conference and come up with its resolution, which will be taken to the national conference for adoption. Besides, the group said the present 36- state structure should be abolished, calling for the restructure and institutions of the government devolved into six regional federation. ONAC said each region should be empowered to create states or countries on it own, stressing that the South west region be made up of Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara and Yoruba speaking parts of Kogi, Edo and Itsekiri part of Delta State. Besides, the group also called for the abolition of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), saying in its place should reflect the Federal character of the country with a three tier system of small federal, stronger regional or state and community police structure. It opined that the South west region should have control over sea ports, air ports, all natural resources on land, sea (Offshore and onshore), including but not limited to oil and gas with 15 percent of net earning to the federal government for it to be able to discharge its duties to the federation. In his opening address, governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko said it is not an accident that Ondo State was kicking the stakeholders interactive session, stressing that the state has been at the forefront of politics in Nigeria. He described the calling for the conference by President Jonathan as a right step in the right direction, assuring that Ondo State people are solidly supporting the conference. The chairman of the event, Femi Okurounmu apologised for starting the meeting behind schedule saying, they were on courtesy visits to the Deji of Akure and Governor Mimiko. He assured the people that their suggestions and opinions will form an important basis for the proposed conference. In its memorandum, the Arogbo Ijaw community said the prediction that Nigeria will break up in 2015 is a reality. The Arogbo Ijaw who are Jonathan’s kinsmen said that setting up of the committee is a great foresight and a meaningful attempt to preserve the unity of the country.