Eminent personalities across the Niger Delta region have advocated a review of the Land Use Act and devolution of powers from the centre to sub-national units for equitable resource distribution and rapid development of the country.
They made the call at an event to mark the tenth memorial anniversary of the death of the first civilian Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in Yenagoa.
Delivering a lecture with the theme “The Niger Delta Voice Through Nigeria’s Soul: Federalism, Resource Control and The Contemporary Nigerian State In The DSP Alamieyeseigha Legacies,” the guest lecturer, Professor Ibaba Ibaba noted that a system in which the politics of resource allocation were revised to reflect narrow rather than national interest does not augur well for national integration and development.
Professor Ibaba who is of the Department of Political Science at the Niger Delta University, Amassoma stressed that the centralization of national resources from pre-colonial to post-colonial eras had stifled the growth of States and Local Government areas in the country.
In a remark, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State emphasized that the late Alamieyeseigha’s advocacy for resource control, justice and environmental rights was not only for the Niger Delta people but for the progress of the country and called for review of laws such as the Land Use Act to enable sub nationals harness their resources for rapid development.
Former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, a friend of Chief Alamieyeseigha, described his former colleague nicknamed Governor-General of the Ijaw nation as a man who he died in the defence of his people.
Managing Director, Niger Delta Basin Development Authority, Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, a relative of Chief Alamieyeseigha who served as Commissioner for Sport in his cabinet said he was committed to the development of the Ijaws and Nigeria.
The Memorial Anniversary also featured panel discussion with leaders of thought highlighting the legacies of the late Chief Alamieyeseigha and his struggle for a more equitable and just Nigeria especially for ethnic minorities.
