National Conference: Groups, other forces set for battle

Posted by admin Legislature, Senate Saturday, January 11th, 2014

By Chidi Obineche

Following the submission of the report of the presidential advisory committee on National dialogue headed by Senator Femi Okurounmu on December 18 last year, various ethnic nationalities, groups and other stakeholders are marshalling out plans in a final push for the battle for the soul of Nigeria. Unlike previous conferences which held with the lurking fear of disintegration, the proposed dialogue has fleshed up in a fresh thrust of concerted interest and efforts to reclaim the tottering nation from the precipice.
While there are still some groups that question the legitimacy of the conference, there is an aggregation of interests on the quest for a new constitution.
Okurounmu’s committee had recommended a drastic amendment of the 1999 constitution to enthrone social justice and equity.
But various leaders, patriots, groups have canvassed for a new constitution that will make Nigeria work. While major stakeholders and groups in the North have endorsed the conference, former Kaduna state governor Alhaji Balarabe Musa insists on a conditional participation of the North, arguing that it lacks legitimacy and is self serving. He has an alternative blue print for a popular and generally acceptable national conference. But while he vacillates, other groups in the North are gearing up for the confab.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), and the Middle Belt Forum have since met to collate views and take positions on the conference.
In the south, Igbo leaders, Yoruba leaders and other ethnic nationalities have met to fashion out their objectives and representation at the conference. Overall, there are minor disagreements on the way to go.
Initial positions of spurning the conference are shifting. Former Lagos state governor and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who had dismissed the conference earlier may have shifted his stance after a meeting with Okurounmu who explained to him in details the “decent and patriotic reasons behind the dialogue”.
After a meeting in Enugu last week, Igbo leaders agreed on a central theme of consensus. According to the communiqué released after the meeting, there was the compelling need for a new constitution. Other grounds enunciated by the group include rejection of proposed selection of delegates on the basis of senatorial zones or federal constituencies. For a workable national dialogue, the group contends that it should be organised solely for ethnic nationalities.
The meeting which was well attended offered to work out the content of the constitution to be endorsed by all Igbo groups before the commencement of the national dialogue, which president Goodluck Jonathan has repeatedly confirmed will take place before the end of this quarter. Other grains of the Igbo leaders dialogue included that “delegates should not be selected through adult suffrage by individuals on their own merit, but that the ethnic nationalities should be the nominating authority.
“We want ethnic nationalities and not senatorial zones. New constitution should not be subjected to the ratification of the National Assembly but by a referendum”
The issue of integration of the South East has also moved forward. Former Anambra state governor, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife told Sunday Sun that any misunderstanding on the issue in the past was as a result of “faulty explanation”. According to him, the structure of zonal government must be the product of “virtual unanimity among the states”
He explains further; “Some groups of states may agree merely on some form of common services system, while some may go for full zonal government. Those who can see tomorrow have moved way beyond the issue of intra geo-political zonal integration”. He confirmed that there are growing talks for an alliance between the South-East and South South.
“Just a few days ago, the uncommonly visionary Governor Godswill Akpabio seriously proposed the integration of South East and South South. People who live in the past, may not realise the great urgency of the proposal, while frontiers thinkers will be considering wider integration.”
“Anyway, Nigerian groups think wisely and myopically about their long term interests. They will all embrace the National dialogue”. South East and South South governors have met at least thrice in the last 2 years with focus on integration.

Landmines and undercurrents
The propelling undercurrent that has shaped interest in the oncoming dialogue is the overriding need to avert the doomsday prediction some years ago that the nation will be extinct in 2015. Two major groups, PRONACO, (Pro- national Conference Organization) and Nigeria Consensus Group of Project Nigeria have risen to the challenge. Joint spokesperson of the groups, Olawale Okunniyi told Sunday Sun that after extensive consultations in 2013, the common strand of agreement was that “only a credible confab will save the nation from political strife and break-up.
“The conference should diffuse the growing political tension and crisis in the country and avert Nigeria running into a most explosive general election ever in 2015 that can signal its end.
This will halt the USA doomsday prediction that Nigeria will disintegrate in 2015.”
The groups advocate a parley with eminent Nigerians ahead of the confab.
Citizens to be consulted according to them should include Alhaji Maitama Sule, Gen T.Y. Danjuma, Prof Ben Nwabueze, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Chief Olu Falae, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Prof. Pat Utomi, Chief Audu Ogbeh and Senator Femi Okurounmu.
To insulate the conference resolutions from political and other influences, the groups also want an independent National Conference Commission and they are not alone on this.
Dr Idika Kalu, an economist and former Minister of Finance is resolved that the key issue of the confab should be the structural balance that will give the nation maximum growth and development. He argues that no sacrifice including a delay of the 2015 elections is too big to achieve this objective.
Said he “Whether as governors, senators, or members of the House, let’s take a new look at the structure that is going to give this nation maximum growth and development.
We can delay elections a little bit to restructure and bring about a system that will promote growth. That is more important than rushing to another election. If the restructuring framework is based on the local government system, the country will be viable. After that, we can now decide what states we want”
Ebenezer Babatope, an ‘Awoist’ and former Minister of Aviation agrees. Babatope sees the unfolding events as divine intervention. “There is the hand of God in it. We have for the first time a president that believes in the national conference. Others played politics with it.
“When you look at the composition of the Presidential Advisory Committee, when you read his lips and even actions since he announced the convocation of the dialogue, you will know it is not politics as usual. God’s hand is in it. The president is merely the messenger”

Latent issues
As preparations for the dialogue hots up, a general idea of a workable framework for the country is evolving. From the North to the South and among strategic thinkers, the build up, according to Sunday Sun investigations is on issues that will strengthen, rather than dismember the country. Beneath the surface are economic and social development, reduction of mistrust and suspicion between the leadership and followership. Snippets of Okurounmu’s Committee report centred on unity, stability, and good governance, economic and social development of the country. This focus has set off the alarm bells in a country that has had a civil war before, several military coups and a raging ethno-religious insurgency. Basically, a track is being formed on what constitutes justice, socially, culturally, politically and religiously. Commentators and interest groups are also keen on the agenda of the confab. These include the form of government, local government issues, anti-corruption agencies, armed forces, zonal or state police, population and census, religion and secularism and tenure of government.
Opinions are sharply divided on subjecting the outcome of the conference to the ratification of the National Assembly.Okurounmu contends that the National Assembly must be involved to make it legal and workable. “Resolutions will be subjected to a referendum and later to the National Assembly”, he said.
Resolutions of the national conference would first be subjected to a referendum and if approved, it would then go to the National Assembly. It’s the National Assembly that can enshrine them into a new constitution.’

Apart from the emphasis on a new constitution, some issues have also surfaced from the past. They include restructuring of the country to make it work, resource control, a lean federal government, viable states, true federalism as established by the founding fathers with emphasis on granting the federating units room to develop competitively.
Equally important is the old issue of structure and composition of the confab. Igbo groups are angling for equal representation of delegates of each ethnic nationality – men, women, unions, religious groups, youths and the physically challenged. According to Elliot Ukoh, founder and leader of Igbo Youths Movement (IYM) “Each ethnic nationality has a position with respect to their interests and expectations from Nigeria”.

Professor Chukwuemeka Ezeife believes “Corruption breeds poor leadership , lack of accountability, marginalization, insecurity, social vices and neglect. Armed robbery, kidnapping, prostitution, cultism, ritual killing are by products of corruption and the deterioration of the value system. If corruption is not addressed, the dialogue will end up as talk show as previous ones.”
In the south-west that has been the vanguard of calls for a national dialogue, there is no significant shift.
Recently, leaders and socio cultural groups including Afenifere Renewal Group, Yoruba World Assembly, Odua Peoples Congress (OPC), Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Yoruba Unity Forum etc met at the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Sijuade Okunade to articulate the aspiration for Yoruba autonomy within Nigeria.
While endorsing the confab, Yoruba leaders canvassed again for true federalism and a workable constitution that will give vent to social and economic growth. Leader of Odua Peoples Congress, Dr Frederick Faseun sums up the agitation of the Yoruba in the following words: “Some of us have been agitating for it since 1983. Most of them have passed on. They will be happy where they are.”

Vital issues
Most groups and individuals believe a new constitution is desirable.
Faseun argues that a near perfect constitution that will institutionalize democracy and social justice should be the kernel of the dialogue. For him, social justice covers all aspects of national growth and development and ensures stability and unity. He has reservations on the integration of the geo-political zones which he sees as an ideal.
Said he : “If Nigeria is not working, what makes them think that this one will work? See what happened in Ethiopia, the country was lawless and fast disintegrating. But immediately they had a sovereign national conference, even those who wanted to separate changed their minds. Today, Ethiopia is a great nation and model of democracy. That is the picture we want for Nigeria.
Public agencies have damaged the country. We need to find a way to cage them and put them in order. With that, the country will grow and nationals from other countries will come here and spend their money.”
Faseun, while limiting the challenge of the dialogue to these critical areas also excoriated the nation’s past leaders for their indifference to the growth and development of the nation.
He added “If we really want to build Nigeria into a great nation, this is another opportunity. We need to have a roadmap, a broad spectrum of what we want. We need to change our attitude to the country. We should offer solutions to the various problems and be involved in the bid to shape it up. That is when Nigeria will be ordered and structured for peace.”
Leader of the Afenifere Renewal Group, Yinka Odumakin does not disagree. Odumakin said the Yorubas are ready to make Nigeria work and are working hard to make meaningful contributions to the dialogue.
Said he: “The refusal to run this nation along the line of true federalism has created inefficiency, corruption and derailed the vision of the founding fathers.”
He also wants the conference to look at the non-justiceable provisions of chapter 2 of the constitution – the rights to jobs, education etc, which for now cannot be enforced. He further submits that the Nigerian state has been privatised and everything should be done to open it up.
Speaking further, he said “The unity of the country must not be compromised, no matter the circumstances, We must do something about it in this conference. We are not united. It is also important to look at human rights, put a halt to impunity and corruption. Look at gender rights. Women are not fairly treated. There should be constitutional provisions on women empowerment, affirmative action for women, equal footing with men, even underage marriages.”
He goes down the familiar lane of wealth distribution wondering whether the nation’s economy is run for the people or for a few individuals. He tasks the conference to work out modalities that will strengthen unity adding that Nigeria is more divided today than in 1914.
Odumakin has a recipe to prevent the disintegration of the nation and that is self determination. For him “The only way to prevent break up is to allow the component units to determine the nature of their existence. We should be able to pull this country out of the woods. The danger of disintegration is real. It is clear and present everywhere. This conference presents an opportunity to address it and prevent the country from breaking up.”
From Kaduna, Balarabe Musa says the North is ready. “We have taken a long time blaming each other for every mistake. Nigerians should now peacefully discuss their problems at a round table. A national conference is apt when things are bad. Other countries also do it to review their progress and set agenda for the future. It should not threaten anybody. It is for the purpose of making progress”
Unfortunately, Musa has some reservations as he describes the proposed conference as “Illegitimate and self serving”.
Musa alleges that the president and his predecessors are responsible for the myriad of problems plaguing the country and have no moral right to pontificate on possession of a wand to resolve them.
He said “The president alone cannot conduct a national conference. He has the prerogative of convening a meeting of groups that can correct the mistakes. Those who should convene the conference are the President, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN)”.
He argues that Nigeria has walked this path before and it amounted to nothing, and therefore he concludes that this new one is a waste of time.
Despite these reservations, the ex-governor has a shopping list, willy nilly. The confab in his estimation should dig in to identify all those things that are not making the country work.
Said he: “Other countries are working. Even countries less blessed than Nigeria. The socio-political and economic status should be reviewed. It should be reversed from enlightened self interest to public interest. It is because of self interest that we have hunger, disease, poverty, corruption and insecurity.
“The second thing I want the conference to examine is the dignity of the human person. This is important. History has proved this. During the colonial times, it was public interest first. During the first and second republics, the situation changed. It was during the second republic that we had for the first time, organized violence leading to loss of lives. Up till now, we have not gotten anyone convicted for organizing the riots.
“It was during the second republic that we had massive corruption. It was the beginning of this nation’s collapse. Today, we have up to 20 million post- secondary graduates that are unemployed. The Niger state governor a few days ago told the nation that the state had 30,000 unemployed graduates. And this is one of the least developed states. Imagine the number of unemployed graduates in Ogun state then”
He wants the private sector to play a leading role but chides the sector for lacking the moral capacity to take up the challenge. “Can the private sector handle that? The answer is no because it is also a by-product of the malaise of corruption”, he said.
Expressing pessimism that the conference may not achieve tangible results, Musa contends that since core issues like regional integration and confederacy can only be discussed at a legitimate conference, this one is therefore incapacitated from the outset. Musa dwells on four limitating factors. These are agreement on whether the conference should be of ethnic nationalities or a conference of Nigerian citizens; the objectives, agenda, organization and conduct of the conference, the role of the present reality of political power, the commitment and understanding of the advocates, the indifference and opportunism of political parties and the late Anthony Enahoro’s fallacy called PRONACO.

New battle fronts
With the various groups and individuals avoiding disintegration as an option, the preponderance of views now centre on power devolution and rotational presidency.
The transfer of power from one zone to another has been the bane of the nation’s political development.
How can this be sorted out at the conference? Again, Ezeife has a panacea. “When there is a weak centre and strong zones or states, the clamour to clinch the presidency by the various ethnic blocs will naturally die down.”

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Posted by admin on Jan 11 2014. Filed under Legislature, Senate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry