Politics

National Confab: Nigeria At It Again

Published

12 years ago

March 17, 2014

In the next three months,
beginning from today, 492 ‘wise men’ who are believed to be the true representatives of over 160 million Nigerians will be putting the soul of Nigeria on the slab, courtesy of the national conference. The national dialogue which kicks off today in the nation’s capital, Abuja with the inauguration of 492 delegates is a platform that affords Nigerians yet another opportunity to agree on the basis of their togetherness.
The state of the nation which has been held captive by the nation’s main fault lines – politics, religion and ethnicity, has made the conference compellingly appealing to many Nigerians, even though some others have questioned the timing of the conference and the motive behind the Federal Government’s sudden romance with a national dialogue it had consistently rejected as unnecessary.
This year’s talkshop will be one in a series of discussions that would take place since the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates by the British colonialists in 1914 to form a single entity known as Nigeria. The first discussion which took place in 1922 gave birth to Clifford Constitution which introduced the principle of election in Nigerian politics. This was followed by another talkshop which produced the 1946 Richard Constitution that recognised regionalism in Nigeria, and then the 1951 Macpherson Constitution which was a bye-product of a conference that recognised federalism and expanded the frontiers of regional autonomy.
In 1953, there was yet another constitutional conference in London that produced a federal constitution known as the 1954 Lyttleton Constitution. That constitution allocated limited but specific powers to the federal government while allowing the three regions that made up Nigeria at that time – North, West and East, to develop at their own pace.
The 1957 constitutional conference also in London, prepared Nigeria for independence and gave birth to the 1960 Constitution; while the conference that produced the 1963 Republican Constitution formally freed Nigeria from the apron strings of the British colonialists. The year 1978 saw Nigeria organising a constituent Assembly which produced the 1979 Constitution and the presidential system of government, while 20 years later, Nigeria achieved another constitution – 1999 Constitution which is now in place, and currently undergoing amendment.
With the exemption of the 1995 and 2005 national confabs held under General Sani Abacha and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, respectively, and whose outcome were not effected, other national dialogues produced results and made clear impacts in moving Nigeria forward. This year’s talk shop is expected to produce similar results, depending however on how the 492 delegates canvass and aggregate their views at the confab.
Most of the discussions that will feature in the conference are already in the public domain, as have been canvassed by several ethnic groups in the country. But the most central and perhaps most thorny ones are issues of true federalism and resource control. Given the cacophony of voices trailing these two issues over the years, with the South-West and South-South leading the campaign in favour of true federalism and resource control as against the North’s retention of the status quo, it will require a political savvy on the part of the delegates to resolve the impasse these contentious issues might create.
Rising from a Pan-Niger Delta conference organised by the Social Development Integrated Centre in collaboration with other civil society and community groups in Port Harcourt on January 28, the South South demanded a structuring of the country into a truly federal state where the component ethnic nationalities own and control their natural resources with residual powers residing in the constituent units.
Also on February 24, the various ethnic nationalities in Southern Nigeria met in Calabar to articulate their positions in the national conference. The Southern leaders summit which was attended by delegates from the three southern geopolitical zones – South-West, South-East and South-South deliberated extensively on the issue of resource control as the only way to make the federating units look inward by exploring and exploiting their natural resources under the economic principle of comparative advantage. It also recommended an increase in the percentage of revenue allocation from oil and gas production under the derivation principle.
In a separate position, the Committee of Benin Elders, just like their counterparts in the South-West, proposed regional governments. The Benin Elders Committee particularly proposed the structuring of the country into eight regions with four regions each for Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria. The committee also proposed that the regions should be allowed to control their resources and pay a royalty tax of 25 per cent to the Federal Government.
For the Northern Nigeria, however, there was the need for a review of the revenue sharing formular. Although the North held no mini or pre-national conference to articulate a common position to be presented at the national conference, its leaders have consistently opposed the idea of resource control, just as they have always argued that the huge allocations to the South South, where the bulk of the nation’s revenue comes from through oil exploration, amount to an injustice. The Arewa Consultative Forum which is regarded as the mouthpiece of the North, at a public hearing in Sokoto, called for the abolition of onshore/offshore dichotomy in the calculation of revenue accruing to the littoral states.
While it may be difficult to predict the outcome of the confab, there are two issues that are germane to the success or otherwise of the talkshop. The first is the issue of whether or not Nigeria should remain as one indivisible entity. And if the answer is yes, what will be the term of reference of living together peacefully?
Although President Goodluck Jonathan had during the inauguration of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, last year, foreclosed any discussion on the unity of the country, the objection of some delegates to the President’s no-go-area, calls for utmost caution, especially against the backdrop of secession threat by a section of the South East, as represented by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
There is also a groundswell of objections to some recommendations of the Senator Femi Okunrounmu-led Presidential Advisory Committee which designed the modality for the national conference. While the committee recommended that the outcome of the conference be ratified by the National Assembly, many Nigerians, including some of the delegates prefer that the outcome of the confab be subjected to a referendum.
Whatever option the confab chooses to ratify its decisions, it is expected that the outcome will promote unity and peace among all ethnic nationalities, and above all assuage the feelings of ordinary people who have over the past 100 years of existence as Nigerians been held down by socio-economic, political and ethno -religious challenges that were recently exarcerbated by the seemingly intractable Boko Haram insurgency.

L-R: Afenifere Chieftain, Sir Olaniwun Ajayi, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and Chief Ayo Adebanjo, during the preliminary meeting of the Yoruba Committee on National Conference in Ijebu Ode last Monday

Boye Salau

Politics

Senate Defends Passage Of State Police Bill

Published

2 hours ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Senate has defended the passage of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, saying the proposed creation of state police is driven by national consensus and the country’s security needs rather than political considerations.

The Red Chamber passed the bill last Wednesday after more than two-thirds of senators voted in support.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele described the bill as “a child of necessity and not of political expediency as well as a product of national consensus and not of cynicism.”

The senate leader said the proposal to establish state police was a matter of urgent public importance that could not be delayed because of political interests, given the country’s security challenges.

He explained that the proposal did not originate recently but emerged from memoranda submitted to the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

According to him, the proposal underwent extensive consultations and rigorous scrutiny because of its sensitive nature.

Bamidele said the National Assembly consulted widely with the Executive, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, the leadership of the Nigeria Police and other stakeholders before passing the bill.

He added that during the public hearings conducted across the six geopolitical zones in July 2025, participants overwhelmingly supported the creation of state police.

“At each level of our consultation, nearly all stakeholders embraced the State Police Bill in the light of stark realities we are facing today,” he said.

The Senate leader noted that recommendations from the Nigeria Police contributed to the bill, particularly on accountability and oversight mechanisms aimed at preventing abuse of state police by political actors.

According to him, the police’s support for the proposal underscores its national significance in tackling insecurity at the state and local levels.

Bamidele also said the bill received broad bipartisan backing in both chambers of the National Assembly.

“Even though the APC is the majority, there are members of opposition parties — PDP, ADC, NDC and Labour Party — that exercised their discretion in favour of the Bill, mainly in the national interest and not on parochial basis.

“In the Senate, for instance, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the Bill. This accounted for 77.06 per cent approval at the Senate alone,” he said.

He argued that national security should transcend political affiliations, saying political actors in other countries often set aside partisan interests to support initiatives that strengthen security.

Bamidele called on opposition parties to contribute constructive ideas that would promote peace and stability, adding that they have a responsibility to offer alternatives that would strengthen the country.

“Even when they disagree on some grounds, they are under obligations to provide credible and useful ideas that can make our nation better and greater. Unfortunately, they have not passed this critical test of opposition democracy,” he said.

News

Probe N6.3bn Constituency Funds Or Face Legal Action, SERAP Tells Akpabio, Abbas

Published

2 hours ago

June 29, 2026

The Tide

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to refer allegations of the diversion or non-accounting of over ?6.3 billion in constituency project funds to anti-corruption agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.

The group also urged the National Assembly leadership to ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence exists, while all diverted or unaccounted public funds are recovered and paid into the treasury.

In a letter dated June 27, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the allegations were contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2022 Annual Report, published on September 9, 2025.

The organisation disclosed this in a statement signed and released by Oluwadare, yesterday.

SERAP also asked Akpabio and Abbas to disclose the identities of contractors and companies, including their shareholders and beneficial owners, that allegedly received constituency project funds but failed to execute the projects.

It gave the National Assembly seven days to act on its recommendations, warning that it would institute legal proceedings should the legislature fail to respond.

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the National Assembly to comply with our request in the public interest,” the letter stated.

It said, “The allegations involve several federal ministries, departments and agencies, including the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON); the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Volm; the Federal Polytechnic, Udana; the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP); and the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).

“The Auditor-General identified numerous cases of payments into private bank accounts, contracts awarded without due process, payments for contracts not executed or services not rendered, undocumented expenditures, inflated contracts, procurement irregularities and failures to account for public funds, recommending in each case that the funds be recovered and remitted to the treasury.

“According to the 2022 audited report, contained in pages 367 to 396, the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON or Council) Abuja paid over ‘N22 million [N22,944,565.16] into the private account of some members of staff of the Council from the Constituency Projects Fund Account.

“There ‘was no evidence of the utilization of the funds and no explanations on the purpose for the payment of such amount into the individual accounts.”

SERAP added, “The Council (EHORECON) also in 2021 ‘awarded suspicious consultancy contracts of over N12 million [N12,030,818.29] for the development of Modern Abattoirs in Kebbi State and the supervision of 7 projects in Kebbi, Jigawa, and Headquarters Abuja.

“The money was to ‘produce bills of quantity, architectural design, structural design, mechanical design, and electrical designs for the contracts and supervision.’ But ‘the ‘items could not be found.’”

Altogether, SERAP said the Auditor-General’s 2022 report alleged EHORECON paid more than ?1.8 billion in constituency project funds through questionable transactions.

For the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, SERAP said the institution “in 2022 reportedly ‘paid over N279 million [N279,700,500.00] to 3 contractors to empower and train youths in selected vocational areas in Borgu and Kontagora, Niger State, train women and youths in entrepreneurship in Niger East Senatorial District and to train youths and women in agro production and self-reliance in Barki Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency, Plateau State.

“But the money was paid to the contractors without any document.’”

Other irregularities involving the college include another ?279.7 million in mobilisation fees allegedly paid without documentation, and more than ?629.4 million paid to unqualified contractors for various constituency projects without evidence of due process, contract advertisements or details of the contractors.

SERAP further alleged that the Auditor-General’s report identified multiple financial irregularities involving the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom State, including over ?407 million allegedly paid as mobilisation fees without supporting documents, more than ?399 million paid to unqualified contractors, contracts allegedly inflated by over ?192 million, over ?279 million paid for projects not fully executed, ?50 million allegedly paid for an unexecuted borehole project, and more than ?83 million disbursed without the required documentation or approvals.

It also alleged that NAPTIP reportedly irregularly awarded contracts worth over ?21.8 million, paid more than ?176.8 million for logistics and consultancy services without supporting documents, and disbursed over ?89.6 million and ?4.4 million for projects that were allegedly not executed.

The report also alleged that NILDS failed to submit audited financial statements for 2012 to 2022, did not remit over ?15 million in stamp duties, and spent ?1.6 million without authorisation from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

SERAP said the report recommended the recovery of the affected funds and their remittance to the treasury.

It argued that corruption in constituency projects disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable Nigerians by diverting resources meant for public services and development.

It added that the National Assembly, in exercising its oversight responsibilities, should demonstrate leadership by ensuring accountability in the management of constituency project funds.

The organisation further argued that the allegations, if established, would amount to breaches of the Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and the Public Procurement Act 2007, which require transparency, accountability and due process in the management of public resources.

Politics

Parties’ Deregistration: How Justice Lifu Overruled Appeal Court Justices

Published

2 weeks ago

June 17, 2026

The Tide

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday brushed aside the order of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which ordered him to stay proceedings in a suit that sought deregistration of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Accord Party and three others.
The Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision of a panel of three Justices had on May 22, 2026 directed the Federal High Court Judge not to proceed with the suit until an appeal pending before them and filed by Accord Party is resolved.
In a Certified True Copy Enrol Order of the Superior Court, Justices Mohammed Danjuma, Adebukola Banjoko and Oyejoju Oyewumi asked the lower Court Judge to stay proceedings until all issues on the appeal filed by the Accord Party were resolved
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State had, through the Accord Party, applied to justice Lifu to join him as a defendant in the deregistration legal battle instituted by a group of former legislators.
The contention of the Osun State governor was that he had a stake in the Accord Party, being the platform he was seeking re-election in the August 15 gubernatorial poll in the state.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu on April 27 ruled against the Osun State governor, rejecting his request to be joined in the suit to defend his own position and interest.
Not satisfied with the Federal High Court decision, the Osun State governor, through his lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), moved to the Court of Appeal in Abuja where he challenged the Justice Lifu decision to refuse to allow him join the suit.
After listening to the argument canvassed, especially that he has interest to protect as Accord Party gubernatorial candidate for Osun State governorship election, the three Justices of the Court of Appeal, unanimously directed Justice Lifu to allow them look into the grievances of the governor.
In specific terms, the Court of Appeal Justices directed Justice Lifu not to proceed further with the matter and fixed October 27 to determine the interlocutory appeal of the appellant.
However, when the certified enroll order and notice of appeal were served on Justice Peter Lifu by Mr Adetunbi (SAN), the judge rejected it on the ground that it was a ploy to arrest his judgment in the matter.
Although the judge had adjourned his judgment delivery in the matter indefinitely, he finally made a dramatic turn around on Monday and proceeded to deliver the judgment that has now proscribed the five political parties.