Confab: 20 Committees Submit Report …Recommend State Creation, 36 Ministers, Graft Court …Plenary Resumes Monday

The National Conference Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government yesterday, recommended the creation of more states based on merit.
In its final report, yesterday the committee attached a list of requests for additional 32 states and one for a change of name.
The committee resolved by consensus that “there shall be created an additional state for the South East zone.
“That all other requests for state creation should be considered on merit.’’
The “List of Proposals for State Creation” was signed by rapporteur of the committee, Chief R.I. Chris-Garuba.
The 32 proposals for state creation include Aba, Adada, Amana, Apa, Anioma, Anim, Orimili, Oduduwa, Ijebu, Yemen, New Delta, Okun, Edu and Lagoon.
Others are South Plateau, Confluence, Etiti, Njaba, Oke-Ogun, Toru-Ebe, New Oyo, Hadejia, Ose, Ogoja, Okura, Ugwuaku, Ghari, Sombreiro and Old Calabar, Savannah, and Warri.
There was also a proposal for “Change of Name of State” from Adamawa to Gongola, its former name.
However, the National Conference Committee on Public Service recommended the reduction of appointed ministers from 42 to 36 to reduce the cost of governance as the committee rounded -up its work.
Chairperson of the committee, Mrs Bello Okeke,  who is also a retired Head of Civil Service, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Abuja.
Okeke said that high cost of governance was not caused by the number of people in the civil service but that of public service.
Public servants according to her, include executives in Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the three arms of government as well as the military and para-military and their aides.
Okeke also said that the committee recommended the establishment of a special court to prosecute people indicted of corruption.
She said that the move was to ensure that such people were immediately apprehended and brought to book.
The chairperson said this was important as some people had arrogated to themselves the pension money meant for people who retired from service.
Okeke said that the committee was also recommending upward review of pension.
The chairperson said that the committee was also recommending the re-investment of pension fund in the provision of housing for workers.
The chairperson also said that the committee had recommended proper data collection in the country to prevent falsification of records.
The chairperson said that the committee had recommended that physically challenged persons should also be provided with access into public buildings with a certain percentage of employment slots.
Meanwhile, twenty standing committees of the National Conference have concluded their work and are ready to proceed to plenary on May19, an official said.
The committees, which had gone through four weeks of thorough deliberations on the terms of references given to them by the conference secretariat, commenced sitting on April 22.
The committees conferred with senators, ministers, ambassadors, chief executives of parastatal agencies as well as other relevant stakeholders on various burning issues.
The committees, which were divided into two groups, with each group made up of 10 committees, met at the National Judicial Institute (NJI) and NICON Luxury Hotel.
The first 10 committees that sat at NJI were committees on Devolution of Power, Political Restructuring, National Security, Environment, Politics and Governance.
Others were Law, Judiciary and Human Rights, Social Sector, Transportation, Science Technology and Development as well as committee on Agriculture.
The second set of 10 committees that sat at NICON Luxury Hotel were those on Civil Societies, Labour and Sports, Public Service, Parties and Electoral Matters, and Foreign Policy and Diaspora Matters.
Others were Land Tenure and National Boundaries, Economy, Trade and Investment, Energy, Religion, Public Finance and Revenue and Immigration and related matters.

LR: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margaretta Wahlsrom; Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammed Sidi; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim and Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, at the 5th Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Abuja On Tuesday