Middle Belt Forum proposes new 12-state structure for Nigeria with fiscal federalism

LEADERS of thought from across the Middle Belt have proposed that Nigeria adopts a new 12 federating unit structure that will serve as a means of ensuring the component parts of the country are sustainable in a bid to address the ongoing ethnic agitation in the country.

Of late, Nigeria's political space has been heavily heated mainly as a result of the perceived injustice Igbos in the southeast of the country believe they suffer. This has fuelled calls for the zone to secede from the country, resulting in agitation for the recreation of the defunct re4public of Biafra that existed briefly between July 1967 and January 1970.

This in turned has created more tension with a coalition of youth groups from across northern Nigeria issuing an ultimatum, calling for all Igbos to leave the region by October 1. In response to the crisis, the Middle Belt Forum has met in Abuja to discuss the matter and proposed a 12 regional structure as federating units for the country.
 

At their meeting, the Middle Belt leaders who discussed key issues such as restructure of the federation, devolution of powers and appropriate revenue formula for the federating units, said they believe that the new regional structure should be based on the old regional blocks. Professor Jerry Gana, the forum's president said the Middle Belt is in strong support of allowing federating units to control their resources and to develop at their own pace.

In addition, the Middle Belt Forum also condemned the quit notice given to Nigerians from the southeast, describing it as totally unconstitutional and unacceptable. Leaders expressed their unalloyed loyalty to the Nigerian federation and added that they are therefore not ready to dump the country.

Middle Belt leaders insisted that in the event that other regions deciding to quit the union, they would rather remain and retain Abuja as their capital. John Dara, the forum's secretary, said they noted that some of the fundamental issues fuelling problems in the country have been adequately resolved at the 2014 National Conference.

Mr Dara added: “We strongly support the demand for the restructure of the federation, together with appropriate devolution of powers to the federating units and a commensurate revenue allocation formula. We urge the federal government to take appropriate and urgent steps to ensure full implementation of resolutions and recommendations contained in the conference report as this will promote peace.

“We denounce in the strongest possible terms, recent calls and threats to Nigerians from the southeast living in the northern states to move back to their areas of origin. Being free, equal and legitimate citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, such threats on south easterners are totally unconstitutional and unacceptable."

Professor Gana disagreed with the position of the former People’s Democratic Party chairman Col Ahmadu Ali that the reason the north rejected the report of the 2014 national conference membership was because it was skewed in favour of the south. He added that membership at the 2014 conference was equitably distributed across the geopolitical zones as the organisers decided that they are not going to interfere in the nominations by professional bodies.

Among the leaders who attended the meeting were Professor Angela Okatashi, Dr Ahmadu Ali, Air Commodore Dan Sulieman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, John Dara and Air Commodore Isaac Alpha.