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NATIONAL POLITICAL REFORM CONFERENCE WHERE THE NORTH STANDS Signed ALHAJI MAGAJI DAMBATTA, OFRChairman Media and Strategy Committee, Northern Delegates Forum.
The dinner hosted by President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, for delegates to the National Political Reform Conference on Sunday night, July 24, 2005, and his address on the report of the conference to the National Assembly two days later have now brought the NPRC to a formal conclusion.
Before its inauguration by the President on February 21, 2005, there were skepticisms about its value. After its inauguration there were fears it might break up even before it had commenced sitting. Five months later, the skepticisms and fears have turned out to be unjustified. As President Olusegun Obasanjo and Honourable Justice Niki Tobi, the chairman of the Conference, have pointed out, it has been a great success. After extensive deliberations and treating more than 700 memoranda submitted by Nigerians, it arrived at near unanimity on 187 recommendations out of 189 subjects decided upon. There was serious disagreement on only one subject, “Resource Control”, and a mild disagreement on another, tenure of the President and Governors.
All through its sittings, the Northern Delegates to the Conference were guided by the spirit of give and take and endeavoured to conduct themselves in the best tradition of political maturity and sincerity for which the religion is widely respected. Again throughout the Conference, our primary consideration was the security, unity and stability of Nigeria as a fledging nation-state.
We believe the best, if not the only, way to secure these objectives and also secure the greatest good for the greatest number of Nigerians was through a policy of even and balanced development for all the component parts of the country.
We also believe we should be very frank and open with delegates from other parts of Nigeria in negotiating the framework for our existence as a country.
These were the main reasons why on Resource Control as the most contentious issue before the Conference, we took the position that an increase from 13% to 17% allocation to the principle of derivation, pending the setting up of a technical committee to work out a more lasting solution to revenue allocation, was in the best interest of the nation. We took this position without prejudiced to the need for each component part of the country to be the principal beneficiary of its natural endowments.
As the reader can see from the table of various scenarios of revenue allocation below, the position of the North was reasonable one.
Implications of raising revenue on federal State Government’s share of total revenue based on May 2005 allocation (statutory allocation fro States and local governments) (Excluding VAT & Excess Crude Allocation).
To support a greater percentage allocation to derivation in a country whose government depends on one commodity for most of its revenue would only lead to a gross imbalance in the development of the various regions in the country with obvious implications for its stability and security. This implication is most obvious at 50% derivation and above, whereby the South-South would have more money than the central government alone and all the other geo-political zones combined.
Our position on Resource Control was therefore taken in good faith and, in accordance with our tradition, we were very frank about it. Out of respect for our compatriots from the South-South, we believed we should say what we meant and mean what we said. It was therefore unfortunate that they decided to walk out and stay out of the conference in its final days.
Even though the conference is now over, we believe that the people of the South-South, through their leaders, can best serve their region by a constructive re-engagement with their compatriots from other parts of the country, especially the North which has been their region’s historical ally.
All told it is gladdening that the National Conference has confirmed the hopes of all those who believe Nigeria will come out stronger through a frank and forthright dialogue over its problems. The Northern delegates in particular are happy that the region spoke with one voice on virtually all issues, in the context of an even greater national unity. In our efforts to find genuine solutions to our problems, we reached out to all sections of Nigeria by holding countless meetings with leaders of various delegations. We will continue to foster greater understanding and work for greater unit between us and the people of the South-South in particular and other compatriots across the Niger.
We wish to thank our people for their support. We also especially wish to thank all the nineteen governors of the Northern States without whose moral and material support we would not have been able to present the formidable front which we did at the Conference.
Signed.
ALHAJI MAGAJI DAMBATTA, OFRChairman Media and Strategy Committee, Northern Delegates Forum.
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