The State Houses of Assembly in the seventeen Southern States of Nigeria, have pledged to deploy all legislative powers to strengthen the positions canvassed by Southern Governors in their recent pronouncements on the state of the nation.
The Speakers in a statement threw their weights behind call for national dialogue and ban on open grazing, even as they urged the Governors to send Bills to the Legislature to address some of the issues in a communique at the end of their meeting in Asaba.
The statement was endorsed by key officials of Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, from South South, South East and South West geopolitical zones of the country.
The statement by Speakers from States Legislature of Southern Nigeria is coming after similar ones from members of the two Chambers of the National Assembly from the Southern part in reaction to issues raised by the Governors in a communique at the end of their recent meeting held in Asaba, the Delta State Capital.
The statement was signed by the Deputy National Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, Vice Chairman South South, Rt Hon Aniekan Bassey, Vice Chairman South East, Rt Hon Francis Nwifuru and Rt Hon Olakunle Taiwo Oluomo, Vice Chairman South West, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria.
While commending the initiative of the meeting, the Speakers applauded the Governors for their patriotism and firm belief in the unity of the country, stressing that issues raised in the communique were neither new nor strange.
According to the Presiding Officers of the seventeen State Houses of Assembly, the country is currently undergoing very challenging times, maintaining that swift actions as well as bold and audacious measures were required from the federal government to remedy the situation.
They maintained that the positions of the Governors as contained in the communique issued on the 11th of May, 2021, in Asaba are sacrosanct and a guarantee for justice, fairness and equity in the country.
While adopting all the positions in the communique, the Speakers reiterated the call for ban on open grazing of cattle in Southern Nigeria and their support for the restructuring of the country to enthrone true federalism.
They stated that the convocation of a National Dialogue was inevitable as it will afford stakeholders from all parts of the country the platform to table their prejudices and together work out a sustainable relationship as one indivisible country.
The Principal Officers of the States Assembly, thanked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for providing the platform for the meeting of the Governors.
