A former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, has given an insight into why the South- south delegates in the Committee on Devolution of Powers at the on- National Conference agreed to the retention of the status quo of 13% derivation for oil producing states, saying the delegates, in their wisdom, decided that Nigeria must be considered first.
Speaking with Sunday Vanguard, yesterday, Attah, who is the Co- Chairman, Committee on Devolution of Power, said the decision to retain the 13% derivation was taken to ensure that certain things were protected within the entity called Nigeria and to guard against what may lead to secession or further inflict wounds against the backdrop that the country was, at the moment, facing security challenges.
Attah, who noted that the Justice Idris Kutigi-led 2014 National Conference will not be the last of its kind in Nigeria, stressed that the issue of resource control will certainly come up again for discussion.
“You just said it was volatile, it was incendiary and it was capable of scattering the conference; there is no doubt in my mind about that. So we recognised the enormous responsibility that was put on our heads and on our shoulders and we took a decision that however long it would take and to the extent that would be possible, we would discuss until we exhaust ourselves and come to a mutual understanding of the position that we know would not cause further disruption in the polity, but rather would help and move the country forward. It was not an easy task. It was a way of negotiating a mine field. It was a mine field and anything could have exploded, but, by God’s grace, it didn’t”, he said..
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