The South-South governors have agreed to replicate Amotekun in the South-South with a view to securing lives and property in the geopolitical zone.
The Chairman, South-South Governors Forum and of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, stated this shortly after a closed-door meeting held on Thursday in Asaba.
Okowa said the decision to bring back Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta Commission was reached at the meeting to look critically into the security and economy of the zone.
He said, “Today, five governors out of six in the zone have taken a far-reaching decision to bring back the BRACED Commission, and we have charged the Chairman of the commission, Ambassador Joel Keshi, to work out the modality and detail for the take-off of the security outfit.
“You are aware that this BRACED Commission had been in existence for the past 10 years but, over five years, it has been dormant and now we decided to revive it, to handle the issue of insecurity and other things in our region.”
Okowa noted that the governors would meet with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to discuss how to remove the 13 per cent derivation first from the Federation Account for oil-producing states before sharing to the three tiers of government.
Governor Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), and Okowa were in attendance, while the Cross River Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, was absent at the meeting.
