The members of the House of Representatives from the 17 Southern States of the federation have unanimously adopted the resolutions of the Southern Governors’ Forum on the demand for true federalism, restructuring as well as worsening insecurity in the country.
This position according to the group is an infirm restatement of insistence that the nation must exist and govern on the platform of democratic tenets of social justice, equity, fairness, mutual respect, true federalism, rule of law, constitutional order and promised to deploy all legislative instruments at for its actualization.
The legislators reaffirmed their support for the governors’ decision to ban open cattle grazing across the southern part of Nigeria without regard to any other affiliations.
They described the action of the governors as a sure step towards checking the infiltration of bandits, armed herders, and terrorist elements which has heightened security challenges with escalated killings and bloody attacks on innocent citizens, while crippling social life, economic activities, and food production in the region.
The group called on the federal government to consider the recommendations of the governors to provide alternative and modern livestock management that does not constitute a security and economic challenge to the nation.
The platform of Southern members in the House of Representatives also pledged their support to the governor’s restatement of the demand for true federalism through a restructuring that will lead to the devolution of power, creation of state police, review of resource control, and revenue allocation formula, as well as strict adherence to federal character principle in federal appointments in the shared interests of the federating states.
They cautioned certain individuals kicking against such devolution of power and review of revenue control and allocation formula, to desist from their vested parochial interest and note that such reviews are the only way to stabilize the nation, engender regional or state productivity and healthy development at all levels.
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