Dickson endorses APC Committee Report on Restructuring

..Urges FG to Constitute multiparty committee to drive implementation before general election.

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, has commended the ruling All Progressive Congress APC, on its far reaching recommendations on the issue of the proposed restructuring of the country.

Gov. Dickson made the call on Friday in Abuja in a Press conference.

The APC Committee on Restructuring, led by the Kaduna State governor, Nasiru El’Rufai had recommended state ownership of onshore mineral resources including oil, state control of police, prisons but also recommended purging the local government from the constitution.

He stressed that the recommendations had further strengthened the agitations for true federalism and resource control in the Niger Delta adding that it will reduce tension and unnecessary agitations heating the polity.

He called on the federal government to be sincere with the implementation of the recommendations, while urging the APC to ensure quick implementation of the recommendations of its committee before the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

He emphasized that implementing the report before the general elections was the true test of the sincerity of the APC led government.

The Governor said that what the APC committee did in its recommendations were the most fundamental of all the approaches to the burning issue of restructuring in the best interest of the country.

He said, “Yesterday, El Rufai, who chairs the APC committee submitted its report. While it is true that we are dealing with a proposal, this is coming from an unexpected quarters, and in the light of the opposition to structuring from some leaders, I thought that what the APC did was unexpected.

“Let me start by commending the committee and the leadership of that party for making what I will call the most fundamental proposal dealing with the issue of restructuring. This is very refreshing, and for me, when I see what is right, I commend it; when I see what is in the best interest of our country, I commend it because my politics is driven by conviction, not convenience.

“With the kind of proposals that they have done, I thought I should appreciate their patriotism and commitment to building an equitable and prosperous Nigeria.”

Dickson further called for the establishment of a multiparty committee to work out the final details to enable the executive sponsor a bill to the National Assembly.

He stressed that there was need to mobilize national consensus to engage the National Assembly in order to ensure the implementation of the issues raised in the report before 2019 general elections.

“I want to say that at this time, if we are all sincere about the injustices, and inequities, then I call for a multiparty committee to deal with the final details of the issues, the issue of the police, the judiciary, the control of land. We need a multiparty committee to discuss and agree and work on draft legislation bills that will be jointly sponsored at the National Assembly.

“All of us needs to mobilize national consensus to engage the National Assembly, So that we can drive all these issues, before the next election. That is the test of sincerity” Dickson emphasized.

The governor maintained that he would intensify consultations across party lines to work towards the actualization of the desired implementation of the report.

When asked if it would not be late to implement the report before the elections, the governor said that the APC which controls the two chambers of the National Assembly and the most states of the federation could restructure the country before the 2019 elections.

He challenged the APC to prove doubtful elements in the country wrong by putting in place the right measures to implement the report stressing that he and others were ready to partner with them on the critical issue of restructure which could only become a reality after the National Assembly had passed the Bill.