The Consensus Committee of the National Conference has approved an additional state for the South East geopolitical zone.

SOUTHERN delegates are not taking lightly to the clamour of the North through a document circulated to northern delegates that onshore/offshore dichotomy should be applied and derivation should be reduced to five per cent for oil resources explored onshore

AFTER days of verbal fisticuffs among members on whether or not oil and other mineral resources should be moved to the concurrent list or retained in the federal exclusive list, the Committee on Devolution of Powers, yesterday, reached a consensus on the matter.

First civilian Governor of Rivers State and a Southern delegate, King Alfred Diete- Spiff took a swipe at the northern position, saying that states must be allowed to develop at their own pace.

NORTHERN delegates have said that unless the 1999 constitution was amended to take away the ownership of mineral resources from the Federal Government, total resource control by any Nigerian state was a breach of the covenant of the federation.

CHAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, disclosed, yesterday, that it was not feasible for the Commission to conduct the 2015 general and presidential elections with electronic system.

THE Comptroller General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, yesterday, disclosed that 46 officers of the Nigerian Custom Service were killed by smugglers last year.

My humble submission is that our political leaders have persevered with yesterday’s solutions largely
because our elite have not properly diagnosed and corrected some of the most important mistakes that
the country made at various points in our history and many of which continue to haunt us.

THE NATIONAL Conference Committee on Political Parties and Electoral Matters has recommended that all elected and appointed office holders in the country who defect from their political parties to another be made to automatically lose their offices or seats.

Members of the National Conference committee on Political Restructuring, and Forms of Government yesterday canvassed the creation of an additional state in the Southeast to redress the apparent marginalization of the geopolitical zone.

THE concept of plea bargain in the Nigerian Judicial system might be expunged from the criminal justice system or at best reviewed to adequately punish persons who run foul of the law.

REGIONAL sentiments and emotions took centre stage, yesterday, during contributions on resource control by members of the National Conference Committee on Devolution of Powers.

DELEGATES at the ongoing National Conference, yesterday, broke into committee sessions with the Public Finance and Revenue Committee summoning the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, top management staff of the ministry and the Acting Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Dr. Sarah Alade, and her team to appear before it today and Friday.

HUMAN rights activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), yesterday, kicked against the existing judicial structure in the country where there is only one Supreme Court , saying the development was greatly contributing to the slow dispensation of justice.

Former Comptroller-General of Customs and Gbong Gwom Jos, HRH Buba Jacob Gyang, yesterday, disclosed that there are over 500 petroleum tankers loading daily to Cameroon, just as he said the people bury them under the tunnels for onward transfer to Cameroon.