South governors, Saturday, warned their colleagues in the north and other leaders to desist from making “inflammatory” and “divisive” statements over the decision of the National Assembly to empower Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as acting president. The governors said such statements were threatening the unity and stability of the nation.
While urging Nigerians to continue to pray for the speedy recovery of President Umaru Yar’Adua, they restated their loyalty to him and hailed Acting President Jonathan for showing “leadership at this most difficult and challenging time”.
Rising from a meeting in Benin at 3 a.m. yesterday, the governor also expressed concern over the pace of the implementation of the post amnesty programme, which, they said “remains a shining legacy of the Yar’Adua Presidency”. They stressed the need for an urgent review of the post amnesty programme in a manner that governors from the region would be involved in the management of the programme, so as to ensure optimal implementation of all aspects of the programme.
The communiqué of the meeting, which was read to newsmen by the governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, was signed by Imoke, Dr. Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers). Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State was absent from the meeting.
The governors, in the communique, “welcome the president back to the country and urged all citizens to join in prayers for the president’s speedy recovery and return to office. The governors restate their loyalty to the president and commend the acting president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, for showing leadership at this difficult time.
“The governors expressed concern that some individuals and groups are exploiting the situation for the promotion of personal, ethnic and regional interests. The governors condemn these actions and urged Nigerian elites to avoid inflammatory and divisive statements and actions that potentially endanger the stability of the nation. The National unity of the country out weighs any personal, ethnic or regional interest”.
Noting that the amnesty programme of Yar’Adua had succefully brought the conflict in the Niger Delta to an end to the benefit of the nation, the governors, however, stressed: “It is vital that funds are released and properly managed for the implementation of the post amnesty programme. The slow pace of the programme has led to frustration. A clear post training job creation programme need to be fully articulated and implemented to fully integrate these youths into beneficial endeavours in our society”.
On the report of the Regional Economic Summit Committee, headed by Prof.Pat Utomi, the governors accepted it and set up a full-time secretariat called “BRACED COMMISSION SECRETARIAT”, which would coordinate the vision and integrated regional development agenda. The BRACED commission comprises of the six states of the south south.
The governors restated their commitment to economic integration of the region and accepted to set up a Business Council to coordinate the activities of the private sector as a vital development organ for the regional economic development.
Representative of the civil society groups in the region, the Reverend David Ugolor, Executive Director of the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), expressed joy over the unity and cooperation that was exhibited by the governors as it relates to the post amnesty programme and the economic integration in the region.