Why we’re opposed to state for S-East – Northern delegate

Why we’re opposed to state for S-East – Northern delegate

ABUJA — The Northern delegates to the ongoing National Conference have given reasons why they are opposed to the creation of an additional state for the South East.

Spokesman of the delegates, Mr Anthony Sani, who made this known, said “the issue of an additional state for South-East purely on the basis of equality ignores the fact that equality is not one and the same thing with equity.’’

Quoting Aristotle, Sani said: “Injustice is not only when equals are treated unequally but also when unequals are treated equally.”

In a statement yesterday, he further said: “States are created to take care of human beings. And when it comes to population and land mass, it is morally preposterous to regard South-East and North-West as equals. People forget the fact that former Eastern Nigeria is today nine states while former Western region is today eight states.
’’The North with more population than the South is just 19 states. People should not redefine the truth and justice. So if states are to be created, it should not be on the basis of equality alone but all other factors must be considered.”

Delegates at the on-going national conference
Delegates at the on-going national conference
On derivation
On derivation, he said: “While not opposed to derivation principles in order to compensate for degradation of environment and reward for efforts, derivation should not make some parts of the country live on cutting edge while some others live on the knife edge of survival.

“We must take the concept of nationhood into account in our agitations for what we consider due and payable to us. This is because we cannot afford to live as if we are in different continents instead of in one country. Bridging the gab in incomes to reduce inequality is not just good politics but good economics as well”

On single tenure for president, govs

Sani further opposed single tenure for president and governors, saying that it would remove the motivation and incentives for working hard.

He said: “If all good and feckless leaders are corralled into the same group without any reward for performing ones, the only incentives left would be pillage of commonwealth by leaders. That is why most nations practise multiple tenure so that performing president and governors would be rewarded with re-election.

’’And if the clamour is to remove abuse of power of incumbency, it is to be noted that many countries device their own means on how to reduce the tendency to abuse power of incumbency.”

For example Chile allows multiple tenure that are not consecutive by preventing a president to conduct an election in which he is a candidate.And that was why President Michell of Chile could not contest as an incumbent despite her immense popularity,and came back to contest when she was not the president. She won.’’