It is no longer news that the 17 States Governors of the Southern part of Nigeria had successfully concluded their meeting which took place in the Lion Building Government House Enugu, Enugu State, on Thursday 16th September 202. We should heartily congratulate the host, His Excellency Rt Hon Governor Ifeanyichukwu Ugwuanyi, even as we had wished the Governors journey mercies back to their States.
The beautiful resolutions of the Governors, which were encapsulated in their Communiqué, might have summed the citizens aspirations and seemed to have offered a flicker of hope to them if those resolutions were to be dutifully and diligently implemented. It may be necessary to re-highlight the resolutions as encapsulated in the communique for emphasis.
(a) Their Excellencies had reviewed the state of the nation and the progress so far recorded in the implementations of their resolutions from their previous meetings and expressed satisfaction with the rate at which the Southern States were dealing with the Anti-Open Grazing Laws. They consequently directed the States that had not yet enacted the above to do so most expeditiously.
Impressive as the above may appear, many people would like to know those States that were still dragging feet on this position that was unanimously adopted, and the reasons for their inaction, so that any bureaucratic bottlenecks found to constitute such impediments could be removed with immediate effect. It has become imperative that all the Southern Governors should act in unison and also speak with one united voice. For long, the North has capitalised on the divided and discordant tunes of the Southern leaders to create and unleash some disadvantaged policies on the latter.
(b) According to reports, the Governors had also resolved to push for inclusion
through the ongoing Constitutional Amendments.
Lack of political will is considered to be largely responsible for the seeming negative governance trajectories in the Southern region. Southern leaders are known to be experts in the formulation of national policies only to miss out in action when it matters most, hence the existence of a plethora of unfavorable policies and schemes towards the Southern flanks of the country. Our leaders therefore, should be reminded that the ongoing constitutional amendments is the wake of the much vaunted restructuring of Nigeria, hence requires all seriousness it deserves.
(c) The Governors were said to have maintained that the next President must come from the South, in line with political equity, justice and fairness.
This again is laudable. We suggest that the Governors should stamp their feet irrespective of their party differences and not to shift ground. The political dichotomy between the North and the South today has become a case of winner takes all affair and this does not augur well for the peace and unity of the country.
(d) Another interesting resolve from the Southern Governor’s forum was to support the position that the collection of VAT falls within the powers of the States.
Again, this is very interesting, but it has been reported that some Governors felt uncomfortable with this enforcement and may not be favorably disposed to the state’s collection of Value Added Taxes for the simple reason that their States do not have adequate activities to generate huge revenues for VAT. No doubt, the enforcement of this law shall impose serious challenges on the State Governors and expose those that depended totally on the handouts from Abuja. Every state in Nigeria is blessed with enough natural, human, commercial and material resources to harness. What is left is for the Governors to embark on massive wealth creation for their States. As for the proactive Governor Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, a foretold war does not catch a cripple napping, and as such there should be no cause for alarm. Governor Ugwuanyi has been able to put in place adequate services and activities, business ventures, developmental projects and infrastructural facilities capable of yielding revenues for collection of VAT by the State.
What was most worrisome was the conspicuous absence of the South East Governors at the just concluded Southern Governors meeting which was hosted by His Excellency Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
According to reports, the Governor of Anambra State was completely absent while his counterparts in Abia, Imo and Ebonyi States only sent their Deputies. In this case one may not be far from the truth to conclude that no State Governor from the South East attended the meeting except, of course, the host Governor Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
To say the least, that was a very bad development, as it has not only sent a wrong signal to the visitors, but also created a negative impression that the Igbo leaders never love or want their colleagues to shine. At least, a Governor in the South East that could not witness an event happening in a nearby Coal city may not possibly travel to faraway places like Lagos or Ogun States to attend one. Perhaps it was this kind of nonchalant attitude and political indifference of most of our Igbo leaders that gave birth to the present dilemma the Zone finds itself today in the country. If our Governors could not afford a day on the burning issues like Open Grazing which has inflicted unimaginable human and material losses on our land as well as abject poverty and severe hunger occasioned by massive destructions of the farmlands virtually in all our communities; or the issue bothering on the emergence of the Next President of Nigeria, people may begin to wonder what else could be more important to the people whose interests the Governors swore to serve and protect, particularly now that the Igbo people are desperately yearning that one of their own should be the next occupant of the Aso Villa come 2023?
It has been rightly said that heaven can only help those that help themselves. A word, they say, is enough for the wise.
Bibian Anekwe News added – “Victims make excuses. Leaders deliver results.” .
Written by
OBODO.O. COLLINS.
DEPUTY CORPS COMMANDER ( RETIRED)
ABUJA
MEDIA TEAM MEMBER OF ENUGU DI N’AKACHUKWU MOVEMENT
