National conference: Hope rising amidst questions Calls for the convocation of Sovereign National Conference have been on for a long while. The calls have come from the various strata of the Nigerian society. The nature, format and title of such a conference have remained a subject of debate, raising various questions, writes JOHN ALECHENU For some years now, Nigerians at individual and group levels have called for the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference. Proponents have argued that the conference will provide a platform for Nigerians to renegotiate the basis for corporate existence, especially the nature the federation would take. They have also argued that the decision by the British colonial masters to amalgamate the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 was done without input from the various ethnic nationalities who live within the territory, which the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo described as “a mere geographical expression.” A prominent Nigerian lawyer and civil rights activist, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, underscored the importance of such a conference when he said the primary duty of the Sovereign National Conference was to address and find solutions to the key problems afflicting Nigeria since 1914 to date. He said, “The concern is to remove all obstacles which have prevented the country from establishing political justice, economic justice, social justice, cultural justice, religious justice and to construct a new constitutional frame-work in terms of the system of government-structurally, politically, economically, socially, culturally and religiously.” With a few months away from the celebration of the first centenary of the 1914 amalgamation, calls for the convocation of such a conference have been on the increase. Only recently, a group of prominent Nigerians under the aegis of “The Patriots” presented a position paper on the subject to President Goodluck Jonathan. The group under the leadership of Prof. Ben Nwabueze submitted a memorandum to the President, reiterating the need for Nigerians to discuss their co-existence. This, they argued, would provide a solution to the myriad of problems facing the nation. In response, President Jonathan said his administration was not opposed to calls for a national conference. According to the President, there was nothing wrong with Nigerians sitting down to discuss matters that will improve the lives of Nigerians and make the country better He reaffirmed his administration’s belief in the rights of the nation’s constituent parts to come together to discuss how they would live in peace and harmony. The memorandum, among other things, demanded for the convocation of a sovereign national conference to discuss Nigeria’s future. President Jonathan was reported to have said, “There have been discussions within government on how to create an acceptable and workable platform for a national dialogue that will reinforce the ties that bind the country’s many ethnic nationalities and ensure that Nigeria’s immense diversity continues to be a source of strength and greatness.” He, however, noted that the constitution currently vests lawmaking powers in members of the National Assembly. Jonathan further explained that he has been engaged in discussions with the leadership of the National Assembly over the issue. The President expressed hope that an arrangement could be worked out for everyone to be carried along in order to develop the nation. Earlier, Nwabueze while presenting the groups set of demands said, “We believe that the way to achieve that (transformation) objective is through a national conference; a national conference of ethnic nationalities in this country.” He said, “We need to bring these nationalities around a conference table to discuss how we are going to live together as one country in peace, in stability, in security as one country with the aim of achieving national unity. But as of today, we are not a nation yet. We are a state.” Not long after the President’s remarks on the issue, the President of the Senate, David Mark in an address of welcome to his colleagues on resumption last Tuesday spoke in favour of convening a national conference. Mark acknowledged that Nigerians currently live in precarious times, and in a world increasingly made fluid and toxic by strange ideologies and violent tendencies. These, he observed, had all conspired to question the very idea of the nation state. According to him, the nation cannot to bury its head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich, and refuse to confront the alleged or perceived structural distortion which has bred discontentment and alienation in some quarters. He maintained that this sense of discontentment and alienation had fuelled extremism, apathy and even prediction of catastrophe for our dear nation. While announcing support for a conference of Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities, Mark said, “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 association.” Mark however, gave a caveat, “To that extent, it is welcome. I hasten to add that it would be unconstitutional to clothe such a conference with constituent or sovereign powers.” The President of the Senate stressed that no one would be under any illusion about the weight the resolution of a national conference, consisting of Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities, and called under the auspices of the Government of the Federation. He pointed out that the task of carrying out such a task would by no means be an easy one because there were inherent difficulties. Some of these include: its structure and composition which has the capacity to stretch the letters and spirit of the Constitution. Mark also suggested that if and whenever such a conference was convened, it should have a few red lines, chief among which should be the indivisibility of the nation. Perhaps, in response to the President Jonathan’s concerns about the powers conferred on the National Assembly, Mark said the legislature, which consists of elected representatives of the Nigerian People, though not constitutionally bound by such resolutions, would be hard put to ignore them while tinkering with sections of the Constitution. He also reminded Nigerians not to see the convocation of such a conference as an end in itself because the task of nation building required much more in terms of sacrifice and investment in the future. Nwabueze and members of the Patriots insist that to deal with the challenges posed by provisions in the current Constitution, there was the need to overhaul the document to reflect the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians. He said, “We need the people’s constitution whose source of authority derives directly from the people. Forget about the content. We will talk about the content later. “It must be directly from the people and that is the position of at least 85 per cent of the countries of the world. So, we examined this and we said this is bogey. There is no problem; don’t confine yourselves to Sections 8 & 9, because the 1999 Constitution is a schedule to Decree 24. “If you read Section 1(1) of the decree, there are all preambles to that decree and the 1999 Constitution that you are talking about is a schedule to Decree 24. “Repeal the decree and the constitution will disappear and you enact a brand new constitution, which would derive its authority from the people.” Former civilian governor of Edo State, John Oyegun, expressed the opinion that while the convocation of a national conference was long overdue, its timing was equally important. He argued that it was desirable but warned that current occupiers of political office must not employ it as a tool to divert attention from the 2015 elections, which Nigerian were eagerly awaiting. Oyegun said “I have always been an advocate for such a conference but it should not be used to divert attention from our mobilisation efforts towards the 2015 election.” He noted that Nigerians now more than ever before, are eager for change towards making the political atmosphere conducive for free, fair, and credible elections to hold from now henceforth. Socio-cultural groups such as the Arewa Consultative Forum, Afenifere and the Ohaneze Ndi’gbo have all voiced support for the convocation of the conference. It appears agreeable to all parties that it is time to talk, however, the shape and form as well as timing of such a conference is likely to determine its viability. Without doubt, the growing tensions over the crisis of identity which appears to be at the centre of most of these agitations need to be addressed. Whether sovereign or not, it is time for a meeting.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 19:45:43 +0000
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