Now that Senate backs national conference…

[Mirror]

If the position of the Senate President, David Mark on national conference is anything to go by, the convocation of a national conference, which many Nigerians are yearning for, may soon take place. David Mark, on Tuesday, gave a boost to the call for the convocation of a national conference with Senate's position that steps should be taken to convene a national conference of ethnic nationalities.

Speaking at the flag off a new session for the Senate, the Senate President noted that time had come for Nigerians to meet and discuss in order to confront alleged structural distortions in the polity, adding that such a conference would find accommodation in the extant provisions of the 1999 Constitution which guarantee freedom of expression and association.

His words: "We live in very precarious times, and in a world increasingly made fluid and toxic by strange ideologies and violent tendencies, all of which presently conspire to question the very idea of the nation state.

But that is not to say that the nation should, like the proverbial ostrich, continue to bury its head in the sand and refuse to confront the perceived or alleged structural distortions which have bred discontentment and alienation in some quarters. This sense of discontentment and alienation has fuelled extremism, apathy and even predictions of catastrophe for our dear nation.

"A conference of Nigeria's ethnic nationalities, called to foster frank and open discussions of the national question, can certainly find accommodation in the extant provisions of the 1999 Constitution which guarantee freedom of expression, and of association. It is welcome. Nonetheless, the idea of a national conference is not without inherent and fundamental difficulties.

Problems of its structure and composition will stretch the letters and spirit of the Constitution and severely task the ingenuity of our constitutionalists." But despite his belief in the national conference, Mark cautioned that it would be unconstitutional to clothe such a conference with constituents or sovereign powers.

Unlike the national conference, Mark said that the resolutions of a national conference consisting of Nigeria's ethnic nationalities and called under the auspices of the federal government would carry some weight. He stated further that the National Assembly, though not constitutionally bound by the resolution of the conference of the ethnic nationalities, would however find it difficult to ignore its outcome.

To many Nigerians the position of the Senate on national conference is a welcome development and they believe strongly that convening it would proffer solution to various problems militating against peace, unity and continuous existence of Nigeria.

Pro National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) and the Nigeria Political Summit Group (NPSG), two bodies which have been advocating political restructuring of Nigeria based on the consensus among the diverse stakeholders and nationalities in the country, have commended the latest support for a national conference of the people of Nigeria by the leadership of the Nigerian Senate.

In response to the Senate's nod to the perennial call for national conference, the spokesperson of PRONACO, who doubles as head of secretariat of the NPSG, Mr. Olawale Okunniyi, in a statement made available to Saturday Mirror, applauded the Senate's move to enable the Nigerian people and ethnic nationalities hold a frank national dialogue.

The agitation for a platform for Nigerians, especially ethnic nationalities, to discuss at a roundtable, has been one of the major issues even before the beginning of the present Fourth Republic, which kick-off in May 29, 1999. While some are campaigning for a national conference, some are calling for a Sovereign National Conference. But one thing that is central is the need for a conference where Nigerians will meet and discuss.

The call for a national conference or Sovereign National Conference is not new anyway. Several efforts have been made in the past to convene a national conference but some of the efforts seem not to have yielded any fruits.

It would be recalled that a former president of the Nigeria Bar Association and pioneer chairman of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), the late Alao Aka-Bashorun, first stressed the need for a Sovereign National Conference in 1990.

Aka-Bashorun, under the aegis of the National Consultative Forum led credible civil society organisations to campaign for the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference.

Notwithstanding the threat issued by the then Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida to charge Aka-Bashorun and other pro-democracy leaders with treason, all arrangements were made for the SNC to commence at the National Theatre, Lagos on September 6, 1990. But as delegates converged for the historic conference platoons of soldiers stormed the venue and violently aborted the assembly.

The refusal of the government to hold a national conference despite several campaigns for it forced some prominent Nigerians to form the Pro National Conference Organisation (PRONACO). The group, led by the late elder statesman and nationalist, Pa Anthony Enahoro, in 2005 organised a national conference in Lagos. The conference was attended by eminent leaders and ethnic nationalities groups in Lagos.

The organisation came up with a document which presented to the public as a draft constitution. But despite the success of the conference, the document remains on the shelf, gathering dust. Giving consideration to the idea of a national conference, the administration of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2005, held a National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) headed by Justice Niki Tobi, but the conference was not regarded by many as a national conference.

Despite the huge amount of resources and time put into the NPRC, which was held in Abuja in July 2005, Nigerians are still waiting for the effects of the conference on the nation. Still displeased that all the efforts to convene a national conference have not yielded any effort, many Nigerians, especially civil society groups and human rights activists are campaigning vigorously for the convocation of a national conference as soon as possible. Some of them are even suggesting that the conference should hold before Nigeria's Centenary celebration in 2014.

Among those that are the forefront of the campaign for a national conference is the Alhaji Tanko Yakassai-led Nigerian National Summit Group (NNSG) and Prof. Ben Nwabueze-led Nigeria Political Summit Group (NPSG).

Both groups, in the last few months, have been holding meetings across the country, strategising on how a national conference can be convened as soon as possible.

But while some people believe that holding a national conference will proffer solutions to the mirage of problems in Nigeria some are of the view that it portends danger to the continuous existence of Nigeria, considering the ember of disunity being fanned by those calling for the disintegration of Nigeria.

There are also sharp differences among people over what modalities the conference should take. While some are of the view that the outcome of the conference can be tinkered with, some are of the view that the conference should be 'Sovereign,' thereby preventing the government from changing or amending the report of the conference.

To many people, having a Sovereign National Conference will prevent the government from doctoring its report, but some believe it will tactically render the National Assembly, which is constituted constitutionally to make law, not functioning. Now that the Senate has backed the convocation of a national conference, definitely many Nigerians will be looking forward to its reality as soon as possible.

It is believed that the Senate's position has given credence to the need for Nigerians to sit at a roundtable to discus. Speaking to Saturday Mirror on the importance of the national conference, the spokesman of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, and Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said that holding a national conference would bring down the tension in the country.

His words: "We need to discuss; we need to bring down the tension in the country. The structure of the government at the moment does not guarantee peace and peaceful co-existence because we have not addressed what kind of nation we want.

Are we one people? How do we live together? We have not addressed those issues. Every time people are calling for national conference those who are benefitting from these iniquities are the ones saying that it is a nogo- area. But these issues are tearing us into pieces.

"We need to sit down and discuss; and for those who don't want to discuss, as we go now, there is discussion going on that is not healthy for the country. Terrorists are having their dialogue with the bombs they are throwing all over the place.

Kidnappers, assassins and armed robbers are also having their own dialogue, kidnapping people for ransom. But for the genuine representatives of Nigerian to come together, discuss and lay a template for Nigeria to flourish, that is what people who are reaping from the present crises don't want. Until we do that this country cannot have peace.

"The Nigerian crises will mature to a point that it is the cabals that will be begging people to come and talk. We have a lot of situations going on in the country today. The crisis is consuming everybody. So, for those who are still resisting talks now, a point would come such that they themselves would be the one begging for people to come and talk." Senate President, David Mark, is of the view that the idea of a national conference is not without inherent and fundamental difficulties.

According to him, some of the difficulties of organising a national conference are the problem of its structure and composition, which he said will stretch the letters and spirit of the constitution and severely task the ingenuity of the nation's constitutionalists. Mark also advised that: "Such a conference, if and whenever convened should have only few red lines, chief among, which would be the dismemberment of the country."

Okunniyi noted that a proposed modality and roadmap for a profound national consultation and dialogue have been prepared by the Nigeria Consensus Group to enable government kick start the process of convening a constituent assembly in earnest and without hitch, stating further that it would be more beneficial to the country if the proposed political conference can hold before 2015 elections.

"The summit group, in conjunction with the Nigeria Consensus Group of Project Nigeria, is ready to work with the National Assembly in bringing about a negotiated political reconciliation and consensus for the country, having already carried out enormous research and consultations on the subject of national question and healing for the country.

"With this very cheering support for a national conference coming from the National Assembly, we believe that the final obstacle before the Nigerian presidency has been removed and there will be no more alibi for government not to convene this national family meeting as soon as possible," he said.

The groups however charged President Goodluck Jonathan not to waiver in giving necessary support to the National Assembly to set in motion the machinery for holding the much desired national conference. But will this call be heeded?

National Mirror