Governors, traditional rulers and other organised leaders of the six South-South states on Tuesday listed a seven-point demand the people of the region want President Muhammadu Buhari to address immediately.
The demand was made to the Presidential delegation sent by the President to meet with leaders of the South South region in Port Harcourt.
The Presidential delegation was led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, and they met with the South-South leaders at Government House, Port Harcourt.
The position of the South-South leaders was presented by the Chairman of South South Governor’s Forum, Ifeanyi Okowa.
The demands were:
Immediate relocation of headquarters of oil multinational to their operational bases in the South South region;
Immediate relocation of government -owned oil subsidiaries from Lagos and Abuja to the South South region;
Immediate completion of East-West road under construction;
Immediate privatisation of the two refineries in Port Harcourt and the one in Warri for effectiveness;
Release of all funds due NDDC and that henceforth, all NDDC projects MUST be done in consultation with State Governors;
Reactivation of seaports in Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri. Then, the Lagos to Calabar rail line.
True federalism, resource control, fair revenue sharing and State Police, the best ingredients to achieving a better Nigeria.
The meeting was called off last week when the Presidential delegation was held back by a national security meeting.
But the South-South leaders had called for a public apology from the Presidency for disappointing the leaders who were already seated in Port Harcourt. That apology was made by Gambari, who arranged for another meeting for Tuesday.
On the Presidential delegation were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed and ministers from the South-South zone.
