2027: Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PANDEF, others unite for national cohesion — Igali

…Reinstates call for 50% derivation to host communities By Henry Umoru ABUJA – The National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Igali, has explained how socio-political organisations across Nigeria are collaborating to manage ethnic tensions and promote national unity ahead of the 2027 general elections. Igali said organisations including Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and PANDEF had established a common platform, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), to promote dialogue and address issues affecting their respective regions.

He spoke during a podcast, Conversations with Prof. Jideofor Adibe, where he traced the emergence of the alliance to disagreements between Southern and Northern socio-political leaders over an inflammatory statement allegedly made by an official of the Northern Elders Forum during an election period. According to him, prominent leaders, including the late Chief Edwin Clark, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Professor George Obiozor and Colonel Dan Suleiman, had approached northern leaders to demand an apology from the individual responsible for the statement.

Igali said the failure to secure an apology prompted Southern and Middle Belt leaders to strengthen their cooperation through the regional alliance. He, however, clarified that the development did not end engagements with Northern groups, as the organisations had continued to maintain relationships, consultations and channels of communication. He said the SMBLF initially held meetings every two months and also maintained engagements with the Arewa Consultative Forum and other northern socio-political organisations.

“With the Southern and Middle Belt Forum, the Northern Elders Forum and Arewa, we still talk. We attend each other’s activities, we encourage each other, and we have a consultative arrangement,” he said. Igali explained that the arrangement provided an avenue for regional leaders to address inflammatory statements and prevent them from escalating ethnic tensions.

“When these inflammatory statements take place, we expect our people to talk to each other so that they don’t overheat,” he said. The PANDEF chairman said the collaboration had also extended to issues of insecurity and the protection of vulnerable communities across the country. He cited instances where youths from the Niger Delta travelled to Benue and Plateau states to express solidarity with communities facing security challenges, describing such gestures as evidence of the need for collective responsibility in addressing insecurity.

“Because we are one country, and we have to have peace around the country,” he said. PANDEF renews 50% derivation demand On resource control and revenue allocation, Igali renewed PANDEF’s demand for host communities in resource-producing areas to retain 50 per cent of revenue derived from natural resources within their territories. He argued that communities where natural resources are extracted bear the greatest environmental and social consequences of exploration and production activities and should therefore receive a greater share of the proceeds.

“It is important that the community that has the resources keep 50 per cent of the derived resources,” he said. The proposed 50 per cent derivation principle draws on aspects of Nigeria’s pre-independence and First Republic fiscal arrangements, under which regions retained 50 per cent of revenue derived from certain natural resources within their territories before subsequent changes to the revenue allocation system.

Igali’s position comes amid continuing calls by regional stakeholders and socio-political organisations for reforms to Nigeria’s revenue allocation framework, equitable development of resource-producing communities and environmental remediation in areas affected by natural resource extraction.