The people of the South-South geo-political zone in Nigeria have advocated for a constitution that would reflect the federal principle upon which Nigeria was` originally founded as envisaged in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions just as they condemned the introduction of criminal acts like hostage-taking and kidnapping to the geniune struggle for true federalism by the people of the region.

This was part of a 10-point communique of the South-South Legislative Retreat on Constitution Review with the theme: “Promoting economic growth and desirable social change for the South-South region through legislative process: A South-South constitution Review Agenda” held recently at the Presidential Hotel Port-Harcourt and co-signed by is chairman, Hon Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte (rtd) and Secretary/Chairman of Communique Committee, Professor Michael Ikhariale.

While asserting that “the constitutional arrangement does not sufficiently reflect the federal principle upon which Nigeria was originally founded,” the communique therefore “called for a people’s constitution that gives adequate powers covering the control of own resources with which to carry out the duties of governance according to the peculiarities of their respective local environment: just as it called for the repeal of some laws that were said to negate the rudiment principles of federalism like the Petroleum Act, Land Use Act and Inland Waterways Act among others.”

The retreat, which condemned the corruption of genuine agitation by criminal elements that minimized the aspiration of the people through kidnapping, robberies and hostage-taking however commended the wisdom of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in initiating the constitution review process calling on the people working on it to consider 50 per cent derivation formular for the region as part of process to guarantee peace and stability in the country.

President Yar’Adua was therefore told that military option in the region could be counter productive advising that “a viable programme for resolving the Niger Delta situations must first be developed through quiet and discreet discussions with the legitimate agitators, leaders of thought and stakeholders of the region.

“Based on the various existing reports, studies and plans that have been produced over the past 50 years, the nation should now have a “marshall plan” approach to the transformation of the region and turn it into a hub for the economic progress of the nation,” the retreat posited warning that “time is running out and further delays in the purposeful resolution of the crises as presently exist in the Niger Delta region will certainly not augur well for the nation.”