— Wants INEC to conduct LG elections
— Attah, Coomasie differ on resource control
Conference committee on devolution of power yesterday proposed one hundred percent devolution of power from federal level to the states and local government areas in the country.
The committee also resolved that all elections including that of the local government councils should be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) considering several atrocities being perpetrated by political parties in the states.
On Arms and Ammunitions in Nigeria, the devolution of power committee members all voted that it should be under the federal government’s jurisdiction and retain such under the current exclusive legislative list.
The committee members however resumed discussion with the issue of resource control which for some time has been controversial and abruptly suspended unresolved.
The Co-Chairmen of the Committee, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah and former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie, were not left out of the controversy as they differ in their positions on the issue of resource control.
Attah in his remark said, he believes that there is oil in the North and efforts must be made to explore it instead of over reliance on the oil from the Niger Delta, pointing out that one day the oil will dry up.
He debunked claims by some Northern delegates that the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta has impoverished them, saying it is the Niger Delta that has been neglected.
The former governor said: “We know that oil is wasting asset and can dry up. So here are two states, both producing oil and enjoying very high per capita income because they are both receiving derivation payments.
“Tomorrow the wells in one state dry up while the other state is still pumping and continues to receive its derivation payments. How can we possibly accuse that state of impoverishing the other whose wells have dried up?
“We all know about rich deposits of limestone, high quality gold and even the presence of uranium. I am personally convinced that there is oil in the North,” he said.
But the former IGP, in his contribution said, the oil that has been at the centre of controversy has led to stagnation of all economic resources in the country.
The former Police chief added that a situation where four oil producing states get monthly allocation that is equal to the total one year allocation to all the Northern states was unacceptable.
Coomasie lamented the neglect of the North where he said there is currently high number of unemployment, porous unmanned borders as well as high number of out-of-school children begging on the streets.
He, however told Journalists that the committee has made useful progress, saying, members of the committee unanimously agreed that there is currently over centralisation of governance structure at the federal level and recommended proper devolution of power to enable states develop at their pace.
According to him, the committee is yet to resolve the issue of resource control and revenue sharing formula.
Meanwhile, members of the committee have unanimously agreed that the regulation on arms and ammunitions should be under the purview of the federal government as it is currently in the Constitution.
The former IGP and Co-Chairman of the Committee explained that even if state police is established, acquisition of arms and ammunitions must pass through the Office of the Inspector General of the Police.
He noted that Nigeria was not yet ripe for the state police, pointing out that there is the tendency for the governors to use them against the political opponents.
