Why I did not implement National Conference report – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he was unable to implement the report of the National Constitutional Conference due to time constraint as his administration was already winding up while the report will take another one year to become an act.

Jonathan stated this on Saturday in Abuja during the 5th National Interactive Integration Summit with a theme titled: “Harnessing the Strength in our Diversity” organized by Integration Summit Group of Nigeria (ISG-N).

Jonathan, who was represented by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, said that the conference report was a very rich document that addressed most of the challenges that has consistently divided the country.

According to him, the conference report was supposed to be presented to the National Assembly as a bill but it was submitted on August 21, 2014 when the National Assembly was on their usual long recess.

He added that the consideration of the report will take about one year as it will go through the appropriate committee, pass through a public hearing, pass through clause by clause consideration in both chambers before it’s final passage.

He maintained that by the time the National Assembly came back from recess, election process and campaign have commenced and that leaves him with no option than to suspend the process so that he will not be seen as
someone in a hurry to stampede or circumvent a democratic process.

Jonathan said, “My solution is contained in the ‘National Conference report which I organised and I am satisfied with the outcome.

“The report was submitted on August 21, 2014 when the National Assembly was on their long recess. Elections were also upcoming.

“It would require public hearing and deliberations and it was obvious that my administration couldn’t have implemented the report without running into ethical hitches”.

The former President maintained that the unity of Nigeria is under serious threat but could only be controlled with policies that will take care of all component part of the country.

Jonathan, who was the keynote speaker at the event, said that the current agitations in the country is as a result of the fact that the country is still looking for solutions to run her republic but some of the solutions which have been proffered by individuals and groups needed to be integrated.

He said, “While we have agitations is because we are still trying to look for solutions to run our republic. Some of the solutions like the resource control, true federalism, restructuring, devolution of powers and the rest have not been integrated and we have not been able to come out with a strategic road map.
We need to redefine our dialogue from theory to a more practical approach.

” My solution is in the National Conference I organized. I received the report on August 21, 2014 and I am satisfied with the outcome. The result was a product of consensus.

“The conference was not designed for my own gain or the immediate benefit of participants. The Confab contains answers to most of the problems we have”.

The national conference commenced on March 17, 2014 after it was inaugurated by Jonathan.

It concluded committee sittings and plenary sessions in mid-July but delegates returned a month later to approve the draft report after which it came to an end following a motion by Second Republic Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN) and seconded by Yadoma Mandara, who was the youngest delegate.

The Conference was packaged by a 13-member Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue headed by Senator Femi Okurounmu.

The conference was Chaired by former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Idris Kutigi, while Bolaji Akinyemi, was Deputy chairman). Others are Valerie-Janette Azinge (Secretary), Akilu Ndabawa (Assistant Secretary, Conference Proceedings), Mahmood Yakubu (Assistant Secretary, Administration and Finance), and Akpandem James (Assistant Secretary, Media and Communications).

During the period the Conference sat, its stability was tested by some thorny national issues, which included resource control, derivation principle, Land Use Act, national security among others.

But at the end of it all, the Conference made some far-reaching recommendations which was present to Jonathan represented by former Vice President Namadi Sambo in the presence of the then President of the Senate, David Mark, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and former CJN, Justice Aloma Mukhtar.

In his welcome address, the summit convener Dr Chris Ekiyo said that all the agitations in the country was fuelled by system failure, maintaining that until ethnic and religious boundaries are broken, different parts of the country will continue to be suppressed at the expense of a few vocal voices.

He said, “The problems that led to the civil war is still with us. Political, religious and ethnic nationalities are at each others neck.

” We believe that there could have been no need for restructuring if we are integrated. Restructuring is as a result of system failure.

“If we must move this country forward, then we must break all ethnic and religious boundaries. The country must see the problem of the Ijaw man as a national problem”.

In his remarks, the 2019 presidential aspirant of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Dr. Thimas-Wilson Ikubese, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to implement the national conference report which contained an important recommendations that addressed most of the agitations in the country.

Some of the dignitaries at the occasion included former President Yakubu Gowon, represented by Abuja Municipal Area Council Chairman, Hon. Abdullahi Candido as well as His Royal Majesty, Shedrack Addo II, Pierre of Kabowe Kingdom, Delta and Bayelsa states.

Myke Uzendu, Abuja