Some eminent Nigerians, rose from a meeting in Lagos recently and called on the Federal Government to urgently convoke a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to address the myriad of crisis currently confronting the nation.

At the end of a two-day National Dialogue organized under the aiges of National Summit Group (NSG), the group made up of politicians, elders statesmen, civil rights activists, business men, academics, traditional and religious leaders, organised labour as well as security agents, emphasised the need for a Sovereign National Conference. They insist that it has become imperative to convoke a national conference comprising various constituent units of the country that would produce valid and true document to serve as the people’s constitution.

Also another group of Nigerians have canvassed for true fiscal federalism as the panacea to the myriad of problems facing the nation.

The call for either the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference or true fiscal federalism as envisioned by the authors of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria is not new.

The late elder statesmen, Anthony Enahoro’s National Democratic Coalition (NADECCO) was among the first groups to champion the fight for the convocation of a sovereign national conference dating back to the birth of the nation’s nascent democracy in 1999.

The South-South People’s Assembly (SSPA), an umbrella socio-political, cultural and ethnic body of the Niger Delta province, comprising, Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo states has also been a formidable voice in the call for sovereign national conference and the practice of true fiscal federalism.

It is believed in some quarters that it was SSPA’s pressure that forced the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to pick Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to serve as running mate to the late Musa Shehu Yar’Adua in 2004. The agitation by SSPA and others also contributed to the election of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, from the South-South geopolitical zone, a minority as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the first time in the political history of Nigeria.

Although constitutionally, Nigeria is a federation, in practice, many political scientists have continued to insist that Nigeria is a quasi federalism.

A part of the preamble of the 1999 constitution says inter-alia “We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria …and to provide for a constitution for the purpose of promoting a good government and welfare of all persons in our country on the principles of freedom, equality and justice and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people, do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following constitution”.

The advocates of SNC have emphatically and repeatedly argued that the 1999 constitution did not come into existence through a properly constituted Constituent Assembly or Constitution Drafting Committee.

Speaking at the legislative summit on South West Integration at Ibadan recently a House of Assembly member from Ekiti State, Ayodele Odu (Trepodun/Ifelodun) constituency said “the 1999 constitution is decree 24 of 1999. It is an outdated constitution foisted by Abdulsalami.

He described it as a fraudulent constitution that told a lie against itself. The National Assembly can amend it, but it cannot make a new constitution for Nigeria. It is anti-historical to give the task to them. He said constitution making is the job of a Constituent Assembly.

Agitators of SNC reason that the various ethnic nationalities that make-up the country, for example the Ijaw National Congress (INC), the Arewa Consultative Council, the Odudua Peoples Congress, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, etc or their representatives should meet on a round-table to dialogue and formulate a people’s constitution.

“We have 484 ethnic groups in Nigeria. We have to go back to basics Awolowo said we cannot avoid a federal system. The military constitution is masquerading as a constitution”, Ayodele Odu said.

In an interview with The Tide, Mr. Victor Burubo, the publicity secretary of INC, said the various ethnic groups have the right to meet and dialogue on how they should live together but such a dialogue or conference must be representative enough and not some selected individuals meeting to take decisions.

Chief Bob Fredricks, a former member of the 3rd Assembly, Rivers State House of Assembly and now an executive member of the INC, is of the view that SNC is a meeting where the national issues like true fiscal federalism will be discussed.

He said anybody from the Niger Delta opposing the call for SNC should be considered a traitor.

On the other hand, those opposed for the convocation of the SNC fear that the convocation of such conference at this point of the nation’s political history or development might be detrimental and may do more harm to the nation’s unity.

The opponents of the SNC also argue that the National Assembly as presently constituted is a representation of the people of Nigeria across the various ethnic nationalities.

They also reason that the National Assembly has the power and mandate to dialogue, discuss and make laws for the people they represent.

Chapter one, part two, paragraph four, section one of the 1999 constitution states that “the legislative power of the federal republic of Nigeria shall be vested in a National Assembly of the federation which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives”.

In reaction to the agitators for the convocation of SNC. The National Assembly described the call as diversionary and unnecessary saying that it would not work and urged its agitators to channel their grievances through the National Assembly.

According to the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed, the call for Sovereign National Conference is diversionary and unnecessary.

He said “Sovereign National Conference is the thinking of some idle minds adding, that convening SNC is about representation of Nigerians and you already have representation of Nigerian in us, one of the most credible elections that INEC conducted was the election that brought us to office. So people in the National Assembly are representing the Nigerian people.

Zakari Mohammed opined “security matters have occupied the front burner of national discourse. We have been inviting the service chiefs for private meetings from time to time to find solutions to the problem”.

He said, loss of confidence in institutions has been like that over time, but it’s not fair for people to say they want to convene SNC for now.

“Are we going to conduct election to bring on representations for the SNC? How many ethnic groups do we have in Nigeria? Is every ethnic nationality going to be represented” he asked adding that if they have a template for discussion there are representatives to address such.

“Those calling for a break up of Nigeria (may be those calling for the SNC) don’t mean well for us. We cannot reduce ourselves to tribal forces and begin to play local champions. Nigeria is a unique country of several ethnic nationalities bonded together by nationality” he remarked.

In his reaction, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media, Information and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe told those agitating for a SNC to shelve the idea because it cannot work and advised them to channel their grievances through the National Assembly.

Senator Abaribe drew the attention of those calling for SNC to the fact that there already exist elected representatives of the people and that all Nigerians are either represented by a member of the House of Representatives or a Senator.

He said “we do not understand the position of those who want SNC” noting that the National Assembly is not against any group of people coming together to discuss issues they felt concerned them”.

However, Mr. Burubo, INC Publicity Secretary, is of the view that the National Assembly is made up of politicians who largely represent their political parties’ interest and personal interest who may know little of the felt need of their ethnic nationality adding that they are just a negligible percentage of the people.

Senator Olorunimbe Mamora and Rev Tunji Adebiyi, Lagos State Special Adviser on Regional Integration have already drawn attention to the limited powers of the National Assembly to make people’s constitution for the country explaining that while the legislators have the mandate to make laws for the country, they are handicapped in making a constitution.

The National Assembly, it is said can only review the constitution and cannot make a new constitution. Making a new and people’s constitution can only be done by bodies outside the parliament put up by the ethnic nationalities.

On why the nation could not practice true federalism despite the fact that Nigeria is a federation, Dr. Monday Okonny, an elder statesman and two-time commissioner in the old Rivers State, blamed the National Assembly for not living up to expectation.

“We need to practice true fiscal federalism, states having their own police etc.” he said.

Again Chief Bob Fredricks, former lawmaker in Rivers State also insist that the SNC would be the only meeting where issues of true fiscal federalism can be meaningfully discussed.

He pointed out that when Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914, the nation was practicing true fiscal federalism. Each region produced what they had and paid tax to the centre. But that system, he said was killed by the military. We now run a sort of military system as opposed to federalism, hence, every now and then, the state governors have to run to Abuja for either federation account meeting or allocation meeting etc.

It was William E. Berah (1865-1940), a Senator in U.S.A who said “the marvel of history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their government”.

It is true that the 1999 constitution did not come into existence through the normal constitution making process. But the more unfortunate thing is that those who are supposed to apply its contexts are selective. The National Assembly’s move to make selective amendment of certain sections of the constitution gives credence to the fact that the constitution is faulty.

A temporary panel beating efforts by the National Assembly may amount to beating about the bush. The way to go may be to hit the harmmer on the head by having a total review or re-writing of the constitution.

Soye Young-Itiye