Politics
National Confab: Nigeria At It Again
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
Amid the seemingly intractable crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, has accused Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, of betrayal, accusing the governor of instigating party members against him.
In a statement at the week-end, Chief Wike said the party had been enmeshed in a protracted crisis due to dishonesty and lack of trust amongst key stakeholders, with efforts to address issues and “enthrone fidelity to agreements” for the party’s progress.
“To this end, a meeting of the G5 was held in Lagos. In that meeting, I made it clear to the governor of Oyo State, HE Seyi Makinde, that he was the architect of our problems, pointing out to him that non-adherence to agreements reached was the bane of the party and that he was the chief culprit of this anomaly. At the end of the meeting, we resolved to bury the hatchet and make progress,” Chief Wike said.
The minister referenced an expanded meeting attended by the party’s key stakeholders, where he alleged that Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State was serially reneging on agreements.
“At the end of the meeting, we came to some resolutions, including (a) That Senator Samuel Anyanwu remains the national secretary of the PDP in tandem with the Supreme Court judgment; (b) All legal matters relating to Rivers State must be withdrawn by the national legal adviser; (c) The suit on the state of emergency be withdrawn forthwith; and (d) Nobody should deviate from the agreements so reached,” he said.
Chief Wike claimed he was begged to attend the stakeholders’ meeting at the Bauchi Government Lodge, which led to the formation of the reconciliation committee headed by former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Alleging the violation of agreements reached before the Saraki-headed committee was constituted, the minister accused Mr Makinde of conniving with Peter Mbah of Enugu State to orchestrate the meeting of South-East leaders to recommend that if Ude Okoye was not adopted as secretary, they would pull out of the PDP.
The former Rivers State governor said, “Again, Seyi Makinde organised some people in the national secretariat to insist that the deputy national secretary should act as national secretary, in violation of the agreement earlier reached. To attempt to give credence to this farce, a letter was written by the deputy national secretary, calling for a meeting of the NEC of the party.
“Furthermore, the letter confirming the candidacy of the governorship candidate of the party in the forthcoming governorship elections in Anambra State, duly signed by the national secretary, Senator Anyanwu and the acting national chairman, was portrayed as rejected by the party through a rebuttal letter signed by the national publicity secretary, acting on the orders of Seyi Makinde and Peter Mbah.”
Chief Wike said a well-publicised and properly attended zonal elective congress of the PDP slated to be held on May 24, 2025, was aborted because the party’s deputy national secretary signed the letter inviting INEC to the congress.
He added, “INEC refused to attend because the proper signatory recognised by law, that is, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, was not a signatory to the invitation notice.”
The minister described the development as provocative and annoying, stating the actions completely violated agreements.
Meanwhile, Chief Wike announced his withdrawal from all the agreements reached earlier and insisted on fighting until justice was served.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Atlas Oranto Petroleum, Chief Arthur Eze, has described President Bola Tinubu as “God’s gift to Nigeria,” commending his leadership style, reform-driven governance, and dedication to national unity.
In a statement over the weekend, the Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said Chief Eze praised Tinubu in an upcoming State House documentary commemorating President Tinubu’s second anniversary in office.
Chief Eze noted that President Tinubu represents the bold, God-ordained leadership Nigeria requires at this critical juncture in its history.
“God doesn’t make mistakes. That man, Tinubu, was created for a purpose. God gave him the power to change lives.
“Tinubu has no enemies. He is a unifier. He speaks with humility and honesty; that’s why we admire him”, he said.
Drawing from his experiences during the Nigerian civil war and his strong ties to the south-east, Chief Eze said President Tinubu has shown unparalleled dedication to inclusivity and development in the region.
“What Tinubu has done for the Southeast, nobody else has. He gave us the Minister of Works, the Minister of Science and Technology, and the Southeast Development Commission. This is an opportunity for the Igbo to unite with the rest of Nigeria,” he said.
Commenting on the Renewed Hope Agenda, the business leader expressed confidence that President Tinubu has honoured his commitments.
He emphasised that the president assumed office during a period of economic fragility and political uncertainty but has displayed the wisdom and determination needed to guide the nation toward progress.
“God has given him the wisdom to change Nigeria for the good of the present and future generations,” Chief Eze said.
The Atlas Oranto CEO called on Nigerians to support the president in fostering stability, growth, and future prosperity.
“He’s not a man of division — whether Christian or Muslim, he respects all. All he asks is that we pray to God and work together,” he said.
Additionally, Eze prayed that “may God guide Nigeria and President Tinubu,” adding that “he gave him this power and will help him complete the job”.
A civil society organisation, Kimpact Developmental Initiative (KDI), has briefed the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on various initiatives it (KDI) has undertaken to engage critical stakeholders such as the National Assembly members with regard to the implementation of the much needed electoral reforms for the advancement of the democratisation process in the country.
The Programme Director of KDI, Sannom Sarki, accompanied by the Senior Programme Officer, Gbemisola Adebowale, said this when the National Democratic Institute of the United States and the KDI paid a courtesy visit to the National Secretariat of the NUJ in Abuja, recently.
Lady Sannom explained that KDI has been collating feedbacks from its engagements across the six geopolitical zones, part of which included a national survey of over 4,000 youths across the country that focused on the youths evaluation and assessments of key aspects of the country’s electoral processes which has the ultimate goal of promoting electoral reform and effective governance.
She solicited the support and collaboration of the NUJ in achieving these objectives, emphasising the importance of enhanced relationship between the two organisations.
According to the leaders of the NDI Nigeria and the KDI, Mr Bem Aga and Sannom Sarki, the visit was aimed at strengthening the existing collaborative relationship between their organisations and the NUJ, and to explore ways of discovering new frontiers, especially in the area of electoral reforms.
Mr Aga, Programmes Director of the NDI Nigeria, who led the delegation, expressed his organisation’s readiness to work closely with the Alhassan- led administration of the NUJ to achieve shared collective goals.
He also emphasised the importance of the mutual relationship between the NDI and the NUJ and stressed the need to further strengthen the partnership to achieve greater shared objectives.
Mr Aga also underscored the significance of the developmental initiatives being undertaken through its partnership with KDI which is aimed at orientating Nigerian youths towards participating actively in the democratic governance of the country.
In his response, the NUJ National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahya, who warmly welcomed the KDI and DNI delegations, pledged to work closely with the two organisations.
Comrade Yahya gave the assurance that NUJ would do all it could to fully collaborate with the NDI and the KDI, leveraging on the Union’s structures across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Comrade Yahya also extended an invitation to the NDI and KDI to the upcoming National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Union for the purpose of making a presentation.
It is hoped that this successful visit will mark the beginning of a renewed partnership between the NUJ, NDI, and KDI. It is expected that the renewed collaboration will yield positive outcomes, particularly in the areas of governance, youth development, and robust media engagements.
The highpoints of the occasion included presentation of mobilisation materials and group photographs.
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