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The Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) has insisted that it still stands with the 16-point agenda of the South-South leaders, which its President-General, Olorogun Moses Taiga said, favours restructuring based on true federalism.
He said Nigeria had three regions, but the Mid-West Region was later created making them four. Every region developed at their own pace, controlling the resources in their territories, while contributing to the centre.
“But when the military took over, it distorted the structure in accordance with the military command structure of centralised order through the Decree promulgated by General Aguiyi Ironsi.
Everything was centralised and the regions were given handouts in return. It was only recently that we in the South-South geo-political zone fought to get the 13 percent derivation,” he stated.
He stressed the need for resource control, saying, “The elders projected was that the states should be independent and control their resources. We just have to review the concurrent and exclusive lists.
“In the first instance, why should a state government be involved in building and running secondary schools and why should the Federal Government be involved in federal secondary schools.
“Why is the Federal Government competing with the local governments? There is the need to have a true federal structure. We need to go back to the status quo ante in 1960 and the Independence Constitution given to us by our founding fathers.
“That is the Urhobo stand. The issue of whether we would become an independent nation is irrelevant. The Urhobo nation calls for true federalism,” he added.
