COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE PANEL DISCUSSION ON "ISSUES OF RESOURCE CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA" HELD AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, DC, USA

INTRODUCTION:

In furtherance of the need for dialogue between Nigeria stakeholders on issues of common interests and toward securing workable solutions for some of Nigeria's pressing political and socio-economic problems, the OKOP USEM LEADERSHIP COUNCIL-USA (OULC) in association with PRONACO-USA organized the first in a series of planned panel discussions at Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA on December 10, 2005 .  Interaction between participants lasted from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Panellists included the following: Dr. Baba Adam (Chair, PRONACO-USA; Director of Research, North Central University, Arizona); Dr.   Mobolaji Aluko ( President, Nigeria Democratic Movement [NDM], Professor of Chemical Engineering, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA) ; Dr. Timothy Okon (Chair, Energy Committee OULC, Oil Industry Expert); Dr. Okenwa Nwosu (Medical Practitioner, MD); Mr. N. H. Ibanga (President, OULC); Mr. Clement Ikpatt (Moderator); and Mr. Ukpong Ekam (Protem Secretary).

The panel discussion itself lasted for two hours and was videotaped in preparation for wide distribution to interested parties and replay in various media.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Towards the creation of a just, fair and equitable Nigeria with citizens with a feeling of shared belonging, panellists agreed on the following recommendations to be communicated to Nigerians and relevant government agencies for information and implementation as the case may be :

That all communities in Nigeria are resource-rich, and those resources should be tapped and managed according to best world practices.
That current "resource depletion mode of operation" in Nigeria must be replaced with a sound "resource management mode" involving a mix of management of the resource in the ground (The Dutch Model) or management of its proceeds through stabilization via intergenerational funds (The Norwegian Model).
That ownership of resources by local communities ( including local governments) and states must be recognized.
That royalties and rents for all mineral resources are to be paid directly to owners of resources.
That the Federal Government can then impose a resource tax which should be available to the distributable pool for all states and the Federal Government to share.
That such a sharing formula of the distributable pool should be agreed to and be fair to all Nigerians including the resource-rich states, and in consonance with the agreed roles of the various levels of government.
To further enhance our fiscal federalism, the exclusive legislative list of the second schedule of our 1999 constitution should be amended to include joint management of mineral resources (The Canadian model).
That the derivation principle as currently operated should be scrapped and sections (161-163) of the 1999 Constitution amended or repealed accordingly.
That there must be shared management of resources and funds accruing from resources between local communities and governments (state and federal).
That in the future when ownership and management are vested in local communities or states, there should also be shared responsibilities between the local community and governments (state and federal) toward environmental protection and maintenance.
That the Federal Government should commence immediate remediation of the environmental degradation that is directly caused by extraction, storage and transportation of crude petroleum in all oil-producing states.
That in particular gas flaring in the Niger Delta, strip mining in the Middle-Belt and other parts of Nigeria, and other kinds of waste dumping in various parts of Nigeria that cause land, water and air pollution, blight our physical environment, and affect the quality of human lives must stop immediately.
That there should be the establishment of:
(i)                 An electronic non-sectarian platform for archiving important documents and

(ii)                A Think-Tank for continued discussions on various issues of national importance.  

Mr. Ukpong Ekam

Protem Secretary

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We intend to publish in a major Newspaper in Nigeria. If you desire to add your signature to this document, submit your full name and City/Country of residence to: ukekam@gmail.com  
 
Thank you!