Some leaders from the South-West, South-East, South-South and Middle Belt on Saturday called for a new fiscal formula for the transfer of Nigeria to a diverse economy.

They also united against the threat of Fulani herdsmen, urging the Federal Government to immediately disarm them in order to secure lives of farmers.

Present at the meeting held in Abuja were Chief Edwin Clark who led the South-South delegation; Chief Ayo Adebanjo who led the South-West delegation; Gen. Ike Nwachukwu who led the South-East delegation while Prof. Jerry Gana, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, former Governor Idris Wada and Gen. David Jemibewon (retd.) leading the Middle Belt delegation.

Also at the summit were Chief Olu Falae, Prof. Banji Akintoye, Chief Albert Horsefall, Chief Guy Ikoku, Basil Paul and Bala Kakaya, among others.

They stated that the herdsmen had continued to wreak havoc on the South and Middle Belt regions.

The group in a communique read by Afenifere spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, said, “We have resolved to put an end to these herdsmen immediately and bring an end to this organised terror being unleashed on the South and Middle Belt states.”

The leaders also restated their calls for restructuring of the nation in line with the recommendation of the 2014 National Conference.

The communique read in part, “As a logical derivative, we must work out a new fiscal formula that will move Nigeria away from the current overdependence on oil and gas revenue to a diversified economy where all federating units are encouraged to develop their abundant natural and human resources for regional and national development.

“The federating units shall remit an agreed percentage of their revenue to the federation account.”

The summit added that the government could not adopt any religion as a state religion.

“Therefore, we ask the Federal Government to immediately review the discriminatory appointments into key offices of government and public service and comply with Section 14 of the 1999 Constitution,” the group stated.

Azeez