A Niger Delta leader, Elder Joseph Ambakederimo, has called for restructuring of Nigeria’s federal system to enable states retain 70 per cent of revenues from local resources.
Ambakederimo made the call at a birthday breakfast media chat in Yenagoa, to mark his 65th birthday.
The chat with the theme, “Federalism with Equity: Fair Resources, Fair Opportunities”, focused on resource control, fiscal federalism and equitable development.
Ambakederimo, who is the convener of the South-South Reawakening Group (SSRG), said that Nigeria’s current federal structure was incapable of delivering the rapid development required by the Niger Delta region and the entire country.
He said that states should have greater control over their natural resources, while contributing an agreed percentage to the Federal Government.
According to him, the arrangement will promote healthy competition among states and enable them to develop according to their resources and priorities.
“The 1963 Constitution provided for 50 per cent derivation, but my recommendation would be 70 per cent retained by the state,” he said.
Ambakederimo said that the agitation for resource control remained relevant, particularly because oil-producing communities continued to bear the environmental and economic consequences of resource exploitation.
He said that the Niger Delta had suffered oil spills, gas flaring, polluted water sources and the destruction of traditional livelihoods, in spite of contributing significantly to Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings.
The South-South leader argued that communities bearing the environmental burden should have greater economic benefits from resources extracted from their territories.
He said that the resource-control debate should not be viewed as an agitation peculiar to the Niger Delta.
According to him, states that have previously opposed resource control are now discovering valuable mineral resources within their territories and attracting investors.
He said that the development had demonstrated the potential benefits of allowing states have greater control over resources within their domains.
Ambakederimo said that Nigeria should return to the principles of the 1963 Constitution, under which regions retained a substantial portion of revenues derived from resources within their territories.
He said that the country’s current system had created excessive centralisation and contributed to mutual suspicion among its component parts.
“Let us all contribute to the centre a percentage that will be agreed by all of us and do whatever you deem fit in terms of development you think is sustainable to your people,” Ambakederimo said.
He also advocated comprehensive political restructuring rather than what he described as piecemeal reforms.
Ambakederimo specifically cited local government autonomy and the ongoing debate over state police as examples of reforms that should be considered within a broader restructuring framework.
He called for a holistic review of Nigeria’s policing and governance structures to address insecurity and strengthen development.
According to him, Nigeria needs to look beyond isolated reforms and address the entire structure of the federation.
