NDIDI OKAFOR, Abuja

One of the delegates, Chief Chibuzo Ziggy Azike (Imo) disclosed the position of the zone to Daily Champion, stressing that it was jointly agreed on after several meetings.

Another delegate and former deputy governor of Imo State, Dr. Douglas Acholonu had said Civil War reparation to Ndigbo, which is inextricably tied to the vexed issue of Igbo property abandoned and officially acquired by some state governments, would be a major fulcrum of the South-East presentation at the confab.

Chief Azike noted that "some of the issues contained in our position document include true federalism, regional government, infrastructural federal character, proper census and enhanced revenue formula."

Azike said that the listed issues would be pursued by the delegates from the zone once the conference resumes, today.

Asked why the zone is going against the "no-go-areas" identified by President Olusegun Obasanjo in his inauguration speech, especially as it has to do with federalism and federal character, Azike said "the President said nothing should be done against the unity of the country and we agree. We believe in the unity of Nigeria. But what we are asking for is true federalism; we are also asking for infrastructural federal character so that the sidelining of the South East zone in terms of federal infrastructure will stop."

On what he meant by the demand for regional government, he said: "We demand true democratic practices, the system as it is now, is almost like a unitary government. What the Igbo are asking for is justice."

He further said that "proper census" is one of the demands of the zone.

By "proper census" Azike said, "we want a proper census where the necessary demographic indices of religion and ethnicity will be used; we also want an enhanced revenue formula; in other words, a review of the revenue formula."

Dwelling on whether the demand for an enhanced revenue sharing formula was not a tacit support of the zone for resource control, Azike said "the South East is not against resource control. The South-East delegates are not against resource control."

The conference took a one-week break on Monday, February 21, 2005 to enable government put in place materials for work.