Eminent citizens, yesterday, took a critical look at the state of affairs in the country and returned a grim verdict: Nigeria is on the brink of collapse and needs to be saved.
Drawn from the six geo-political zones of the country, the citizens, including politicians, lawyers, activists, religious leaders, monarchs and members of the academia were unanimous in condemning corruption, insecurity, poor state of infrastructure and inability of successive governments to develop the country. They all agreed that the country, as a matter of urgency, must find a winning formula to improve on the fortune of the citizenry, 70 per cent of whom live below the poverty line.
However, they were divided on how to save the sinking ship of state. While some canvassed convocation of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to restructure the country into a true federal state, others said a national conference would be sufficient. There were also some who feared that a national dialogue would lead to the disintegration of the country.
They would rather that people utilise the opportunity offered by the National Assembly to bring about the desired changes in the Constitution. Yet, another group averred that constitution-making was not the problem of the common man. Rather, it is provision of dearly needed amenities- roads, power, education, healthcare, water, jobs, security, etc.
See more photos of those at the dialogue
To a large extent, most of the delegates condemned the killing spree orchestrated by the Boko Haram Islamic sect, in many parts of northern Nigeria and agreed that the country needed one form of dialogue or the order, which outcome must not be tinkered with by the government.
Among those, who spoke at the two-day Eminent National Leaders of Thought Dialogue organised by the National Summit Group (NSG) at the banquet hall of Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Lagos included Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Dr Fredrick Fasehun, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Chief Edwin Clark, Dr Kalu Idika Kalu, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chief Olu Falae, Senator Felix Ibru, Alabo Graham Douglas, Amb Grace Eke, Professor Saliba Mukoro, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Yakubu Alkali; Obong Victor Attah, Ms Ann kio-Briggs, Mr Femi Falana, Oba Adeyemi Adedapo, Chief Mike Ozekhome, Mahmud Othman, Chief Missioner of Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdulraham Ahmad and Prof Akin Oyebode.
Others included Professor Pat Utomi, Professor Kimse Okoko, Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, Chief Jide Olajide, Mr Tony Uranta, Hon. Cairo Ougboh, Mrs Nene Lamvah, Chief Mowoe, Profeseeor S. Bagoro, Mrs Ireti Doyle, Comrade Peter Esan, John Nnia Nwodo, Naseer Kura, Mrs Ganiyat Fawehinmi, Dr Arthur Nwankwo, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, Mr Sam Ohuabunwa, Mrs Tari Yeri, Mrs Joy Okunnu and Elder Seidu Gbogbo among others. Notable personalities at the parley, which ends today, included Senator Ben Birabi, Chike Ogeah, Kenny Okulugbo, Ishaq Akintola, Professor Bolanle Awe, Senator Seye Ogunlewe, Saint Obi, Adewale Balogun, Wale Okunniyi and Denzil Kentebe.
Moderated by Professor Utomi, the hall was charged and emotions ran high as words of lamentation profusely poured out from the lips of speakers on burning national issues.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, Alhaji Maitama Sule, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, Justice Alfa Belgore (rtd), National Security Adviser (NSA), General Owoye Azazi (rtd), who could not attend,sent solidarity messages in support of the dialogue and urged Nigerians to participate in the convocation of a national conference.
This came as a youth group, which described itself as ‘worried citizens’ carried placards to protest alleged non-inclusion of Nigerians in the summit, which they alleged was being sponsored by the government.
The protesters who condemned the summit described it as an unacceptable jamboree just as it warned that the outcome, like other previous confabs would not have any effect on the polity.
While chanting solidarity songs, the protesters berated the summit saying it was not people-oriented and called for a people-oriented SNC that would not take place in a private hotel but in a public square to accommodate people who would be able to speak their minds.
Indeed, Sheraton Hotel, which has a relatively low capacity to accommodate people whose destinies were being determined by the conference, was fenced round by military men to ensure security and prevent uninvited guests from participating.
The protesters condemned the conference and tagged it an ‘unacceptable jamboree’, that its outcome, like other similar confabs in the past would have no meaningful outcome.
Summit not govt-sponsored, says Uranta
In his opening remarks, Secretary of the NSG, Mr Tony Uranta dismissed allegations that the summit was a Federal Government-sponsored initiative. He explained that the initiative was borne out of the desires of eminent leaders of thought, who “genuinely want the nation restructured,” adding, “unlike what has been raised in some quarters, this is not a government initiative. It is an initiative borne of most Nigerians aimed at restructuring the country.
Uranta set the ball rolling for the exchange of fire that ensued. Urging that the dialogue should be seen as a seed that would lead to a sovereign national conference, he disclosed that it was supposed initially to focus on issues like deregulation, the cashless economy but events had overtaken them because there were on-going discussions to address them.
“But we can still all talk about the security of Nigeria. I do not know how it affects you but I am sure it affects everyone of us. Our gathering should focus on building bridges and our working together to build a better nation,” he said and enjoined participants not to see the summit as a “fault-finding forum, but to look for ways to move the country forward, hoping “we look forward to ending this forum on a good note.”
Nigeria is on the brink – Utomi
Thereafter, the moderator, Utomi, welcomed delegates with sadness and hope. He said he was sad because Nigeria was on the brink again -on the edge of the precipice as it was in 1967.
Recalling that the British prime Minister said recently when he came to Nigeria that the country could be the fastest growing economy in the next 40 years, Utomi said he was hopeful urged participants to focus on issues that would spur development.
“I draw your attention to our differences that canbe managed very well. We must overcome those challenges . We must address the issue of power. Elsewhere, checks and balances are the first things of governance. We must seek to get the Nigerian people to hold those in power accountable at all times because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Utomi lamented that the prevailing federal system was the type the founding fathers dreamt for, a reason he said most of those elected into power were not performing. “Our governors are not performing because of the system. We need to restructure the country to empower the federating units leaving little duties for the centre. If the National Assembly benefit from the system, they, certainly, cannot be the people that will change it. We need a country where the cost of governance is low and where our leaders will serve and not to be served.
…We’re on verge of being a failed state – Balarabe Musa
Former Governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa concurred, saying that the country “is on the verge of being a failed state in almost every respect”
He hoped that Nigeria remain and would remain one country, adding painfully “that this doubtful because of so many contradictions.”
According to him, Pre-independence, First and Second republics leaders were more patriotic and responsible than current leaders even though they were feudal and autocratic.
“If the leaders in the colonial and First Republic have remained one way or the other, we certainly would not be where we are now. In spite of our riches and wealth, we are now one of the poorest countries in the world. We have more bitterness and quarrels. Our responsibility as we gather here is to continue the process of reversing the situation from a negative situation to a situation where there is hope like we started during the 1960s,” he said.
No headway without SNC, restructuring – Falae
On his part, 1999 Presidential Candidate, Chief Olu Falae, said the country must return to true federalism as agreed by our founding fathers before independence and the surest way to do that was through the SNC or Nigeria would continue to wobble with disintegration as the final destination. He urged those entertaining fears that SNC would dismember the country or cut short tenures of current elected leaders not to be worried as the confab would do no such thing.
His words: In 1958, as a prelude to independence, our leaders went to Marlboro, London to negotiate a political covenant that will be the bedrock of independence of our country. What emerged from it was a genuine federal constitution. The Englishman was not a fool when he agreed to a genuine federal constitution for Nigeria. At the last count, we have 484 ethnic and distinctive groups in Nigeria and the only way to give such a plethora of nationalities a chance is a federal constitution which will allow the individualities of each group in the federal country.
And so, we had the federal constitution, every region had its own coat of arms. Every region had an ambassador in London, we had four ambassadors to London and not one. As a student in Ibadan, I studied four constitutions: the federal, North, Eastern and Western Nigeria. Then, everybody did his own thing at his own pace and in accordance to his own priority. When the military came in 1966, we threw away that genuine federalism. We must recover that common bond. We must convene the SNC. It is the people, who have sovereignty, not the government. Our problems can only be resolved in a genuine federal system.”
We’re here to save Nigeria – Nwabueze
On his part, the Chairman of The Patriots and Project Nigeria, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), said the gathering was to save Nigeria not to separate her.
The best way to save the country, he said was through a sovereign confab where representatives of all ethnic nationalities would sit together, discuss and agree on terms of co-habiting.
“Whatever we discuss here today is a prelude to a National Conference to have a people’s constitution, which has been denied the people since independence. Anybody who wants to prevent the convening of a National Conference is an enemy of this country. My group is preparing a working document on this and I hope you will support it. I am 83, I am prepared to march to Abuija to present that document when it is ready. Anybody, who is going to stop us must be prepared to kill all of us,” he said.
We must revive regional competition– Ogbeh
Contributing, former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Audu Ogbeh, raised a series of questions on how Nigeria missed the path to development and was trudging on the road to perdition. “How did we get here? Instead of being our brother’s keeper how did we become our brother’s killers? How is it that our industries are dead? How is it that we are spending N20 billion on food importation a year? How is it that Naira is N160 to a Dollar? How is that Chief Awolowo managed the war, which cost $1 million a day without borrowing a dime? How is it that the Local Government System has virtually collapsed? How is it that our constitution provided elected people for our Local Governments but our governors prefer caretaker committees? How is it that our government apologises to terrorist organisations? How is that when a man like Nwabueze marches ahead, we are timid to join?”
Profering answers to these questions, Ogbeh said there was need to restructure the country to what it used to be when the regions rode on the back of inter-regional competition to develop utilising agricultural products like palm oil, cocoa and groundnut and were world leaders in these products.
He sought a country where each state would be funds contributors and not collectors.
Where Nigeria went wrong – Clark, Ozekhome
To tackle the problem, Elder statesman and Ijaw Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, said Nigeria started missing the mark, when the leaders abandoned true federalism.
“In 1958, we all voluntarily agreed to have a federation. The leaders of the three regions agreed that we should be a federation where everybody is equal but today some groups are in power, we have first class and second class citizens. In 1953, we agreed that 50 per cent of resources produced in a region should remain in that region and every region developed at its own pace. But today, we have 36 states where some states are holding others down those who want to develop. We must sit down and agree on the basis of living together. We need national conference, not sovereign national conference,” he said.
Legal icon, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), spoke in like manner, insisting that Nigerians must sit down and talk or the problems would worsen.
According to him, the menace of Boko Haram, Niger delta militants, Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), etc were symptoms of the problems of the country that could only be addressed through a dialogue whether sovereign or otherwise. Failure to do so, he contended would amount to treating leprosy with an eczema drug.
Kalu, Fani-Kayode, Nwankwo, Nwodo back confab
On his part, Kalu backed national confab. He decried the pervasive corruption, inability to provide social services and expensive government that the country was running.
He urged the government to do the needful and convene the conference because the rest of the of the world was watching Nigeria.
Former Minister, Fani-Kayode warned Nigeria against going the way of other big countries that British wound together such as India and Sudan, which have divided. India divided into three-India, Bangladesh and Pakistan while Sudan has fallen into two countries – Sudan and Southern Sudan, leaving only Nigeria.
“Some people want to rule forever to rule for forever. If we don;t have SNC which decision will be binding on the government, your Nigeria is finished. We pray that those in power will realise that things must change. The threat of Boko Haram is no longer an academic issue. People are being killed. Government must show force. No dialogue. It should deal with the people responsible and their sponsor. How can someone link Boko Haram to derivation. Enough is enough. Let’s have sovereign national conference,” he said.
We’re against Boko Haram – Shettima
Chairman of Arewa Consultattive Youth Forum (ACYF), Alhaji Yerima Shetima, said it was not true that northern leaders were not kicking against Boko Haram.
“We have been in the forefront of those against Boko Haram. In fact, we believe that all Nigerians should come together and fight it. I have always had my reservations and I feel very uncomfortable when people blame the entire north instead of pointing accusing fingers at the perpetrators, i begin ti to get worried that these issues, if not addressed before the we go to the national congress, may lose steam and its purpose defeated. Above all, I support the need for a national conference, I believe we must sit at a roundtable to discuss the future of this country.”
No comments:
Post a Comment