Dickson Hails APC Committee on Restructuring, Wants Implementation Before 2019…

Urge FG to form multi-party committee on implementation

Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has commended the ruling All Progressive Congress APC, on its far reaching recommendations on the issue of the proposed restructuring of the country, adding that it had further strengthened the agitations for true federalism and resource control in the Niger Delta.

Also, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide, yesterday demanded expeditious action on the Governor Nasir el-Rufai report on restructuring presented to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday.

While calling on the APC to be sincere with the implementation of the recommendations, Dickson said restructuring Nigeria would calm frayed nerves and strengthen the nation’s unity.

However, the Governor called on the leadership of the APC to ensure implementation of the recommendations of its committee on restructuring before the conduct of the 2019 General elections.

According to him, implementing the report before 2019 general elections was the true test of the sincerity of the APC on the issue of the recommendations.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, said the Governor made the comment in an interview with journalists on the recommendations of the APC’s Committee on Restructuring led by Governor Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State in Abuja on Friday.

The El Rufai Committee had recommended state ownership of onshore mineral resources including oil, state control of police, prisons among others while presenting its report to the leadership of the APC on Thursday.

Dickson said that he had to commend the APC for the recommendations on restructuring which he said came from an unexpected quarters some of whose leaders had opposed the calls to restructure the country.

The Governor said that what the APC committee did in its recommendations were the most fundamental of all the approaches to the burning issue of restructuring in the best interest of the country.

He stressed that as a politician driven by conviction, he had to commend the APC on its bold recommendations on restructuring because it was right and worthy of appreciation.

He said, “This development came from an unexpected quarters in a matter that is dear to us; the subject matter of restructuring to address the inequalities in our country. Yesterday, El Rufai, who chairs the APC Committee, submitted the report; While it is true that we are dealing with a proposal, this is coming from an unexpected quarters, and in the light of the opposition to structuring from some leaders, I thought that what the APC did was unexpected.