The President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has called for the abolition of the concept of State of Origin in Nigeria.
Rather, Mark said what Nigeria should move towards is the concepts of State of Residence.
Mark, who stated this on Monday at the opening ceremony of the 127th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, said this move would enhance peaceful co-existence and cement relationships in the country.
Mark, speaking against the backdrop of the theme of the IPU Assembly, “Citizenship, identity, linguistic and cultural diversity in a globalised world,” said: “You should know that one of the issues we’ve been discussing in constitution amendment is shift from state of origin to state of residence because it is an important issue.
“You are resident in a place for 20 years and still they don’t take you as part and parcel of that place.
“I think it’s a difficult task but in my candid opinion, I think if we have an open mind and we approach it from a nationalist perspective, rather than a small, clannish perspective, I think we would get it right.
“Let’s forget the business of state of origin and go to state of residence.
“Once you are resident in a place and you perform your civic responsibilities for the period, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t benefit, provided of course you don’t claim dual residency.
“Some Nigerians may be very clever.
“They would come from Ondo State and are resident in Benue.
“When the benefits of Benue are not commensurate with their expectations, they shift to Ondo State.”
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