Apparently sensing the danger ahead, the Pan Niger Delta Forum has convoked an emergency “general assembly” for Monday over a bill in the House of Representatives seeking to amend the Constitution to remove the 13 percent oil derivation formula being enjoyed by oil-producing states, especially in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
The obnoxious Bill has generated a lot of heat in Niger Delta.
The bill currently awaiting second reading was promoted by 59 members of the House from across the states in the North, including the leader of the Northern Caucus, Musa Sarkin-Adar.
The proposal seeks to delete Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution, which has to do with the management of the Federation Account.
PANDEF, in an open invitation issued on Friday by its National Chairman and former Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Emmanuel Essien, invited governors of states in the Niger Delta and members of the National Assembly from the oil-rich Niger Delta region to the virtual meeting.
The invitation is titled, ‘Agenda: The Bill to Delete Subsection 2, Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) sponsored by 59 Northern Members of the House of Representatives .’
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls that the President of INC, President Ben Okaba had issued a statement last week cautioning the Federal Government to allow sleeping dog to lie as the matter will not be treated with levity by all Niger Deltans .
