Aremo Segun Osoba
Resource control has been one of the controversial issues in the ongoing national conference as the South-south delegates are advocating for upward review of derivation to, at least, 25 per cent. Their South-east and South-west counterparts want it pegged at 21.5 per cent while the Northern delegates are firmly opposed to any upward review. They are rather advocating for the status quo to remain.
According to Daily Sun report, Osoba who was contributing to the Conference committee report on Devolution of Power, shocked his colleagues when he warned that if the North does not shift ground now, the South would not hesitate to pay back in 2015.
Osoba described the northern delegates who are insisting on maintaining the status quo as being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians, who suffer the harsh realities of the effects of oil exploration and exploitation.
Sensing that the South-west will be the ‘bride’ that will decide the outcome of 2015 presidential election, Osoba said those who want the status quo of 13 per cent to remain should adopt the system of “rub my back and I rub your back, otherwise we will deal with them in 2015 election.”
Also lending voice to the matter, former governor of Oyo State, Senator Adewolu Ladoja, told the Conference that people were using blackmail to pursue the interest of their region, while calling on them to stop discriminating against one another.
Reacting to a remark by a delegate from the South-east, who complained bitterly of marginalisation, Ladoja said, "They have deputy senate president, deputy speaker, finance minister, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, governor of the central bank, and so on. So, what are you talking about? What we are saying is we are all Nigerians, Igbo are already part of Nigeria and I love them."
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