FIVE governors of the South-South states yesterday pledged their support to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, as he steers the affairs of the nation.
The governors, however, lamented the exploitation of President Musa Yar’Adua’s ill-health by some individuals and groups for the promotion of “personal, ethnic and regional interests.”
The governors are Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom, Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State.
Absent from the meeting held in Benin City was the Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva.
In a communiquÂŽ issued at parley, which lasted from 9pm on Friday to 2.40am on Saturday, the governors stressed the need for them to be involved in the management of the post-amnesty programme in the Niger delta.
They also called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which, they said, promised 10 per cent equity in Incorporated Joints Ventures to oil-producing communities.
In a communiquÂŽ read by Imoke, the governors restated their loyalty to President Yar’Adua and called on Nigerians to “pray for his speedy recovery and his quick return to office.”
The governors commended Acting President Jonathan “for showing leadership at this most difficult and challenging time and urge him to remain steadfast and focused in steering the affairs of state.”
However, the governors expressed concern that “some individuals and groups are exploiting the situation (Yar’Adua’s ailment) for the promotion of personal, ethnic and regional interest.”
They condemned these actions and urged the Nigerian elite to avoid inflammatory and divisive statements and actions that potentially endanger the stability of the nation.
“The national unity of the country outweighs any personal, ethnic or regional interest,” they said.
On the post-amnesty programme of the Federal Government, the governors voiced their concern about the pace of its implementation.
According to them: “It is vital that funds be released and properly managed for the implementation of the post-amnesty programme. The slow place of the post-amnesty programme has led to frustration.
“It is also important that the post-amnesty programme be reviewed and an implementation timeline and benchmarks set to ensure that this laudable programme is sustainably managed to a logical and mutually beneficial conclusion.”
The governors suggested a clear, post-training job creation programme, which should be fully articulated and implemented “to fully integrate the former militants in the Niger Delta into productive endeavours in the country.”
Nonetheless, they noted that the amnesty programme “has successfully brought the conflict in the Niger Delta to an end to the benefit of the whole nation.”
“Oil industry operations, which is the mainstay of the nation’s economy, has been stabilised by the success so far of that programme.
“Certainly, the amnesty programme shall remain a shining legacy of the Yar’Adua presidency,” they said.
The South-South governors also deliberated on and accepted the report of their first Regional Economic Summit held in Calabar in April, 2009, where they agreed that a full-time Secretariat called ‘BRACED Commission Secretariat’ be set up “to co-ordinate the vision and integrated regional development agenda.”
(BRACED is an acronym for Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta – the six states that make up the South-South geopolitical zone.)
While commending members of the Summit Committee headed by Prof. Pat Utomi “for a thorough job,” the governors stressed their commitment to the economic integration of the region.
They accepted to set up a Business Council to co-ordinate the activities of the private sector, as a vital development organ for the regional economic development.
Meanwhile, the African Network for the Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) through its executive director, Revd David Ugolor, yesterday lauded the position of the governors.
Ugolor said the setting up of the BRACED Secretariat would enable the governors to implement their master plan for the region.
“We welcome the statement issued by the governors particularly taking into cognisance what happened in Calabar in their meeting last year and with the setting up the secretariat.
“We, as a civil society group, would monitor their activities and it is a right signal to the Federal Government on the need to show commitment to the socio-economic growth of the country.”
It would be recalled that South-South Economic Group, headed by Prof. Utomi, two weeks ago said there was need for the approval of a gas master plan for the region and the concessioning of its distribution plants in the region for investors.
The group said the decision would enable the various states’ independent power projects (IPPs) to attain optimum production as well as support the development of industrial parks within the region.
It also called on the Federal Government to expedite action on the proposed Calabar-Lagos rail project estimated to cost $.5.7 billion and expected to create about 66,000 jobs.