By Davies Iheamnachor

PORT HARCOURT: Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, has disclosed that it is approaching the Federal Government with six new documents that would address the issues of Constitutional review and devolution of power.

PANDEF also called for a change from the Presidential System of Government to the Parliamentary System noting that the already practised system is not being properly applied.

The Forum disclosed this at the opening of a Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue on Constitutional Amendment, organised by the Rivers State chapter of the Forum in Port Harcourt.

The National Secretary of PANDEF, Chief Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack, said PANDEF is organising the dialogue and consultation in all the forum’s chapters in the region, noting that at the end of the process that three different documents would be produced and be presented to FG.

Dagogo-Jack said the six documents would be centered on constitutional review, devolution of power and the need to move more of the powers in the exclusive list to the concurrent list.

He said the nation needs a functional constitution that would enable states to operate within their own framework , adding that states should be able to generate revenue and pay percentage to the centre.

He said: “The Rivers People spoke their mind on what they expect from a new constitution. They want more powers to be devolved to the states. They want their revenue eto reflect production. They want constitution that guides the state.

“So that the state will operate within its constitutional framework, as a part of a bigger federation. The fact is that if the constitution was very good nobody would have want to change it.

“It is because it has problems, it has challenges, continuously, session after session, people are questioning sections of it. This is a process of making sure that people stop questioning it. We do it once and for all so that everyone embraces it.

“We are just one of the willing tools in designing a new Nigeria. So, six documents will come out of this exercise and those six documents will be harmonised, synthesized and crystalized into a national position for PANDEF.”

Also, Former Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Sir Gabriel Toby, said the issues of devolution of powers and resource control should be look at critically by the National Assembly

Toby, who is the Vice Chairman, Rivers Elders and Leadership Forum, said Nigeria would be a better country if the nation is able to address the issues of devolution of powers and resource control.

He said: “We are making the call for a review of the Constitution of the country. Each chapter of PANDEF in states were asked to meet and make their input. One critical area we want review is the devolution of power and resource control, because if we are able to get these right, the nation will be repositioned.

“Also, like the Committee has recommended, we should move to Parliamnetary system. We have found that Presidential system is wasteful, because it is not serving us and we are not following the model of the United States that we copied. It is better we go back to what we know.

“Over the time, there has been some level of achievement, but not the way we want it. That is why we are take it up at the constitutional review level, where the federal government devolves power and takes a less of what it should do, then the states should take power.

However, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, said more powers should be given to states to operate, adding that the constitution should be amended to enable states create local government councils.

Sara-Igbe said: “We have resolved that there should be two tiers of government, that is the Federal and the State. And the states should have equal powers.

The States should be able to create their own local governments. Most of the Exclusive Legislative list should be given back to the Concurrent list, so that the state would have the Authority to legislate on matters around the state.