In line with their colleagues in the South West geo-political zone of the country, governors of the South-South zone has resolved to set up a regional security outfit for the region.
This, the governors said, would complement the effort of the police and other security agencies in the task of policing the region.
The governors, who met, in Asaba, Delta State, also resolved to revive the Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Cross Rivers, Edo and Delta (BRACED) Commission.
At the meeting which was attended by all the South-South governors, except Governor Ben Ayade of Cross Rivers, it was agreed that the BRACED Commission would handle the formation of the local security outfit.
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Briefing newsmen after the closed-door meeting which lasted for about two hours, Chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, said they (the governors) had also resolved to tackle the presidency on the need to remove 13 per cent oil derivation for the oil-producing states as enshrined in the constitution before allocations to all the states by the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
The governors, according to Governor Okowa, also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately constitute the governing board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), noting that the interventionist agency would play a greater role in the regional development of the South-South.
In the words of Governor Okowa, “Five out of the six state governors of the South-South geopolitical region have just finished with our South-South Forum’s meeting, where far-reaching decisions were taken. Our colleague the governor of Cross Rivers, Prof. Ben Ayade was held up at Abuja, so could not make it.
“We had a very enriching meeting and a decisive decision was taken concerning the BRACED Commission, which was started about ten years ago by our colleagues, who were former governors before us.
“We have agreed to restart the BRACED Commission and ensure we provide the necessary logistics for it to function properly.
“The commission as established was to help us look into the issues of the regional economy and the need for us to develop our region collectively, instead of working as individual states.
“A lot has been done in terms of documentation in the past. And in the last five years, the commission has almost gone to sleep.
“But we have agreed we have to restart it with headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with our next meeting coming up in May, in Port Harcourt.
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“We also took other decisions concerning the issue of FAAC allocations and the need to be able to stress very importantly that in every allocation that is being done, thirteen per cent derivation must first be taken out from the funds that come from oil economy before the rest of the money is shared at FAAC.
“The 13 per cent is meant for oil-producing states. That has not been the situation for a very long time. We have agreed as governors to take up the matter at the appropriate levels.
“We have also took on the issues of the NDDC and the need to urge Mr. President to constitute the governing board by the advisory board of the NDDC, which has a major role to play in advisory capacity, because we believe there are lots for NDDC to do in terms of regional projects, rather than taking on small projects. This we have to work on as quickly as possible.
“With the briefing by the DG of the BRACED Commission, Ambassador Joe Keshi, who is with us, there are lots of documentations that have taken place in the last few years, which we will look into.
“We also took on the issues of security, which I am sure a lot of you are waiting on that, we have agreed as a region there is a need to have a regional security outfit.
“We have mandated the BRACED Commission to work out details, which they will brief us at our next meeting in Port Harcourt.
On Lassa fever and looming coronavirus, he said, “Our decision is that the commissioners for health in the six states, who are experienced and who understands the protocols we need to urgently meet, they are going to meet almost immediately on how to contain the Lassa fever epidemics that is on and how to tackle the issue of Coronavirus, in case it extends to this region. It is important we prepare ourselves should it spread to our region”.
