Delta Assembly adopts resolutions of South-South, South-East joint session

RESOLUTIONS of the joint parliamentary ses­sion of the South-South and South-East state Houses of Assembly held in Owerri, Imo State have been adopted by the Delta State House of Assembly.
The joint parliamentary session took resolutions on two key issues affect­ing the two geo-political zones.
Majority Leader of Delta State House of Assembly, Tim Owhefere moved the motion, which was unani­mously adopted during plenary yesterday.
Owhefere, who doubles as the chairman, House Committee on Informa­tion, told newsmen after the plenary that the two key issues were the Graz­ing Reserve Bill before the National Assembly and the Niger Delta question.
He explained that the regional lawmakers con­demned the bill on the grazing reserve, as it was another obnoxious Land Use Act that had impacted negatively on the people.
He said it was observed that about 80 percent of land in the geopolitical zones were already cov­ered by oil exploration and exploitation with the attendant pollution, say­ing that the remaining 20 percent in use for farming and other purposes cannot be ceded for the purpose of cattle grazing.
Owhefere emphasised that the regional legisla­tors rejected the Grazing Reserve Bill, saying it was anti-people of the two zones and challenged the federal lawmakers to do the needful by throwing out the bill for the sake of unity of the country.
On the situation in the Niger Delta region, Ow­hefere said the joint ses­sion took a stand against pipeline vandalism in the area but urged the Federal Government to reassess its present disposition on the issue.
He stated that it was resolved that the federal government should enter into a peaceful dialogue with critical stakeholders in the zones to resolve the dispute and operate with­in the rules of engagement without incurring collat­eral damage similar to that of Odi massacre of 1999.- THE SUN