The Nation Newspaper

Tag: conference

  • Group holds maiden pre-Ramadan trade fair, conference 

    An Islamic organization, Sofasal-El-Asal Society of Nigeria (Sofasal) has completed arrangement to hold a ten-day pre-Ramadan Trade Fair and Business Conference, to herald the 2014 Ramadan season.

    The programme, which will hold at the National Stadium from Friday 13th to Sunday 22nd June is designed as a platform for all Nigerians, particularly the Muslims to source for items that are frequently in high demand during the Ramadan fasting period at affordable cost.

    A statement by the group said it becomes imperative to reduce the increased level of spending during Ramadan period as Muslims will always ensure that they have adequate stock of food for early morning and the evening meals as well as those they will share with friends, family and the needy.

    According to the organizers, the fair which is the first of its kind in Nigeria and indeed Africa, would create opportunities for organisations (manufacturers, distributors, dealers and retailers) to develop a unique and enduring relationship with a key segment of the Nigerian consumers’ population.

    More importantly, it is a forum for examining the meeting point between religion and commerce in line with the dictates of God and his provisions.

    The exercise will involve government agencies, foreign missions, market men and women, multinationals, service providers food/beverages (Non-Alcoholic), financial institutions, healthcare, textiles/fashion, fast moving consumer goods, household/kitchen appliances, travel and tourism (particularly operators who provide Hajj Services) etc.

  • Victims of abuse assured of police protection

    Victims of abuse assured of police protection

    Victims of domestic and child abuse can now speak out and be sure of support.

    The Police gave this assurance at a conference on safeguarding Nigerian Children With theme; Building a Child Protection System fit for 21 century, organized by Africans Unite Against Child Abuse ( AFRUCA) and Centre For Children’s Health and Education and Orientation and Protection (CEE-Hope) held in Lagos.

    A police representative CPS Monday Agbonika said the police is presently partnering with Ford Foundation, medical experts, psychologist and counselors under Family Unit Initiative to ensure better support for victims of child abuse and domestic violence.

    Aware of the fear of stigmatization by victims, Agbonika said the unit of the police though carved out from the police station, provides privacy and keep cases confidential.

    According to him, police officials are cut off from victims dealing with only reports with coded with no trace of personal details.

    To help victims mentally, the office is comfortably furnished with provision for juvenile offenders. The facilities for the modern police project section addressing grassroot policing are said to be available in Adeniji, Ilupeju,and Isokoko.

    Agbonika stressed the need for parents to teach their children sex education early and implored the public to always report any criminal act to the police without fear or believe that laws are not being enforced in Nigeria.

    Meanwhile Dr Josephine Effah- Chukwuma, Executive director Project Alert, also emphasized the importance of parents teaching sexual education at an early stage knowing that 69 percent of victims of sexual abuse are children and the act is done by people they are familiar with and trust most.

    She said parent should double their efforts in raising their children and teach them what they need to know because of the advancement in technology.

    Chukwuma challenged the authorities responsible for child care organizations and relevant service providers to ensure strict adherence to policies guiding their operations.

    She added that schools and child care organizations and even parents should teach their children self defense, ensure that employees are screened and certified fit

    Modupe Debbie Ariyo Obe,  founder and chief executive director of AFRUCA, a United Kingdom registered charity promoting the rights and welfare of African Children in United Kingdom, noted the impact of insurgency on school children  and the need to safeguard schools.

    According to her many children have been orphaned, families obliterated, homes destroyed and communities wiped out.

    She added that parents have either been hurt or harmed, leading to inability to work while community economic activity are affected.

    Other highlighted impact included reduction of family income generation, children living on the streets, closure of school and disruption of education.

    Due to Boko Haram’s focus on schools, Ariyo Obe advocated for urgent training of all education workers across the country on terrorism to focus on how it can affect them, how to detect signs and what to do to keep schools and children safe.

     

     

  • Conference committee fails to reach consensus on derivation principle, others

    Conference committee fails to reach consensus on derivation principle, others

    The National Conference rose on Devolution of Power failed yesterday to reach consensus on the twin issues of derivation principle and resource control.

    Members of the committee emerged from over seven-hour closed door session without a decision on the contentious issues.

    The committee also failed to resolve the differences among geo-political zones on whether onshore-offshore oil dichotomy should be reintroduced in states whose minerals are located off the coasts of their states.

    Most of the delegates declined to comments on the issues that have attracted intense debate for three days.

    Insiders said that Northern delegates insisted on reduction in derivation principle while their Southern counterparts, especially those from the Southsouth wanted increment.

    Our correspondent gathered that some delegates from the Southwest zone also backed the reintroduction of onshore/offshore oil dichotomy.

    It was learnt that delegates from the oil-bearing states argued that reintroduction of the onshore-offshore oil dichotomy will take the country many years backward.

    It was said that Southsouth delegates said the North’s demand for scrapping of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs could reintroduce the same problems those agencies were created to solve.

    Co-Chairman of the Committee, Obong Victor Attah had informed reporters after the morning session that each of the committee members had opportunity to state their positions on the issues and was optimistic that the committee would arrive at a decision by the end of the day.

    This, however, did not happen at the close of sitting yesterday.

    Attah said the committee had completed debates on the issues and that by today, he was confident that a decision that would not rob any part of the country of its rights would be taken.

    He noted that after every member had spoken on the issue, it was decided that they should all go and ponder over the issues raised by individuals and come back today for a final decision.

    Committee members were advised not to take any decision in the direction that would create disequilibrium in the system.

    They were admonished to think beyond oil and gas as the only mineral resources in the country.

    Northern delegates had in a 47 page position paper marked “Key issues before the Northern delegates to the 2014 National Conference” with a sub-title “Northern Nigeria the back bone and strength of Nigeria” resolved to reject all claim to oil by Niger Delta.

    The position paper was articulated by a think tank constituted by Northern Governors, the Arewa Consultative Forum and the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation.

    The position paper which was described as “highly provocative” by some Southern delegates, detailed the position and demands of the North from the Conference.

    It specifically asked northern delegates to reject all claims to oil resources by oil producing areas which the document claimed led to the cancellation of the onshore/offshore oil dichotomy.

    It said that abrogation of onshore/offshore oil dichotomy gave away a national resource to littoral states, “seriously eroding revenue available for distribution to all parts of the country.”

    “The North demands a reversal to status quo ante. All mineral resources should remain under the exclusive rights of the Federal Government as provided for by the International law (1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea UNCLOS, Article 76 on territorial waters/boundaries which stipulated that 200 nautical miles off the continental shelves belongs to the central government exclusively,” it said.

    It said that the Federal Government since 1999 has taken steps which negated the principles of justice and equity to the federating units, clearly threatening the balance development of the country for the common good of all.

  • Memo to National Conference

    The only thing louder than the violence being perpetrated by Boko Haram is the deafening conspiracy of silence behind it. Unravel it and you’ve won the war. Behind the Boko Haram absurdity are wounded lions, scourged snakes and their sympathizers perceived to be at large. I dare say that this atrocious guerilla war can’t be won on the battlefield. From my keen perspective, if the sect members are unmasked and attempts are made to try them in the court of law, the nation may be risking a civil war.

    Truth be told, these mongers seem to be winning the war, and the battle. They already have the nation cornered where they promised. And this begs a pertinent question: Nigeria, what is thy way forward?

    Nigerians are tired of empty brags, again and again. It’s a lame psychological war position; the world is laughing at us, not with us. A wounded tiger does not brag about her tigritude, she devours her prey!”(Apology to Professor Wole Soyinka). Each time they hit their target with bestial and most unholy accuracy, Allah is not on their side, neither is God on their side.  Their godfathers, with their selfish messianic agenda, damned up behind questionable but unfathomable pockets of obscene wealth, are yet to fail them. Therein lies their winning formula.

    If Boko Haram is on a genuine mission of holy jihad, they will be slaughtering those who chain them on their knees; overdosing them on religious diet, the opium of the wretched, suffering masses. They will not be on a killing spree of innocent souls of all faiths and ages.  My suspicion: their constant dare-devil signature is beyond our shores.

    The Nigerian nation has created some fat, monstrous, rabid, German-Shepherds, in the dark years of military adventurism, which have been silenced, and no longer in positions of barking orders on how this country is run. They are now in coma and in the wilderness of lost hopes.

    Our nation is morally and terminally ill. Yes! They have every right to mourn the death of their nightmare at the dawn of the birth of a greater Nigeria in view. And this shall be! They are weary of their loot and inheritance. Their legacies, money and honour are on borrowed time; and so is their legacy, as defined by them in our dark distanced past.

    Sirs! Let heaven fall. The party is over!

    The architects of our woes paradoxically scripted President Goodluck Jonathan in a diabolical role of a lame duck. And fate, the arbiter of destiny, skewed things in his favours; destined him for greater callings. That’s an open secret and besides my point.  Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, are you the messiah? I am not drifting and in fact careless, if you run in the next election to win or lose. But are you the true messiah, who may even lose or win the next election but, be the president who chose the path of honour to assemble wise men and women to draft a true fiscal federal constitution that will protect the interest of all, in a new union that will truly integrate this unsolicited amalgamation of 1914, over hundred years later!

    Luckily, and for the umpteenth time, fate is again calling on you. You are the sole candidate for this messianic role in our current dispensation. You have dared to convene this conference, give it teeth and grow it to maturity; with the seal of sovereignty by referendum and posterity will crown you the father of new Nigerian nation. By then, David would have triumphed over the enemies of the state.

    Break the myth of leadership in Nigeria. Give us a true fiscal federal constitution by the people, for the people and watch this land thrive in great leadership. Let us crash!  This nation as presently constituted, cannot germinate great leaders. In fact, she is adept in manufacturing and empowering political godfathers, grandmasters of political theatrics, feigning leadership; whereas she finds herself suffocating on bended knees. This centralized governing system is all about the rule of men. Give us the rule of law, to be enshrined in the people’s constitution, where no saint or devil is above the law.

    Esteemed 492 wise men and women, all of you are privileged citizens; on a mission to resolve our critical logjam, to soothe all injured souls in this on-going constitutional conference. The truth that the grandmasters of our dark political days find difficult to swallow is: in all games, there are amateurs and professionals. The masters and grandmasters, fate, the greatest master of all, often skews things in favour of  the underdog with mocking cruelty; turning masters to spectators in their own games.

    A case in point: the legacy of Obama’s victory on the American constitution: All men are equal, was enshrined in the bill of rights in the American constitution. But, it was mere tokenism in operation, in faltering spirit and withering letters of the constitution. That was tokenism on a retained value, to silence and pacify loads of agitators on the political spectrum on the indictment of slavery.

    Whoever issues token, reserves the rights of its value, and that created a huge deficit on the spirit and letter of the American constitution. But on the historical occasion of Barak Hussein Obama’s victory, a conscientious nation rose to its feet and fulfilled the intent and spirit of the American constitution to the letter – they elected the first black American president.  A veiled reparation, or call it restitution, from the hearts of Americans of all colours, was finally paid with an electoral votes of consequential historical significance. For this bold step, the whole world applauded and saluted the Americans.

    Let us unite behind a true fiscal federal constitution for a greater union. We must legislate morality, if need be, because our sins are legion. The excesses in our culture diminish us; weakens our growth and benumbs strength. Some of us must pay a political price in varying tags, for the excesses of our past, for acts of commission and omission in our past; because, such political recklessness is our collective guilt.

    There must be an outright political ban on those of us born before independence; a deliberate fencing of Nigerians over 55, in the political affairs of this crawling nation.  It is a sacred patriotic duty, belatedly owed our motherland; aged over 60-plus, yet a toddler in the comity of nations. These are the worst of times. We need self-imposed draconian measures. These are necessary steps to barricade the tide of the imminent doom; to cleanse the slate across the board, for a new nation, powered by a reposition of trust in our new generation of Nigerians.

    A clean slate, devoid of temptations of cash and carry politics, with a great emphasis on honour in serving the nation, and a non-negotiable separation of religion and state, must be our fait-accompli. But all should be at liberty to worship and practice our religions unfettered.

    • Omisore is a Lagos- based businessman

     

  • LEGAL DIARY: CJN, Tambuwal, Fashola, other Dignitaries for NBA-SBL Conference

    LEGAL DIARY: CJN, Tambuwal, Fashola, other Dignitaries for NBA-SBL Conference

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloma Mukhtar; Speaker, House of the Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) are among the dignitaries expected at the eight Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (SBL) Annual Conference, to be held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, from May 25-27.

    The Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee (CPC) Mr. Seni Adio in a chat with The Nation said: “The forthcoming Conference of the SBL is billed to build on and surpass the programming and attendance of previous conferences hence, in part, the over-arching theme that was selected for this year’s Conference coming on the heels of the 2015 General Elections.”

    Mr. Adio stated that the conference programme is “topical, insightful and exceptionally qualitative” and will be indelible in the minds of participants for many moons to come. The theme is: ”Exemplary Governance – Enhancing Economic Development in Nigeria”. There will be a welcome cocktail on the evening of May 25 and the opening ceremony will be on May 26 followed by plenary and break-out sessions on May 26 and 27.

    Adio said: “Regarding the theme for this years’ Conference, part of the thinking had to do with the fact that it is imperative to take stock in order to re-calibrate and build on the successes that the polity has achieved thus far and equally important, to address topical issues that require urgent attention in order to, amongst other things, sustain economic growth and foster a peaceful and stable polity

    He said: “Put another way, issues of good governance cut across law, business, politics, economics and security – all towards enhancing a strong and exceedingly viable Nigeria

    “We ought to stop thinking and working in silos, the time has come for us to appreciatethat these different spheres are interwoven and this explains why the SBL chose the theme and planned the Conference with international and indigenous subject matter experts as presenters, facilitators and moderators.

    “As you may be aware, the SBL has about 21 different Committees covering different areas of law, such as Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Intellectual Property, Consumer Protection and Products Liability, Insurance, Sports and Entertainment, Tourism, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Aviation. This year,in addition to the three plenary sessions, about 8-12 Committees will conduct break-out sessions on key topics that should not be missed.”

  • ‘NBA conference on economic, political issues coming

    ‘NBA conference on economic, political issues coming

    The forthcoming Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Business Law (BSL) will address serious socio-economic and political issues affecting the country, secretary of its Governing Council Mr. Olu Akpata has said.

    The conference, according to him, starts from May 25 and ends on May-27, at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Its theme is: ”Exemplary governance – enhancing economic development in Nigeria”.

    Akpata said: “This theme is influenced by the fact that the conference is being held in the penultimate year to Nigeria’s general elections and thus presents a unique opportunity for stakeholders to address the imperatives of exemplary governance as a platform for enhancing economic development in the country.”

    Since its inception in 2004, the NBA – SBL Business Law Conference has remained a converging point for policy formulators, regulators and industry practitioners with deliberations at the various editions of the conference. The deliberations cover diverse areas of  legal practice such as banking, finance and insolvency, infrastructure and power. Other ares are capital markets, mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructurings, competition law, travel, hospitality and tourism, sports and entertainment, intellectual property, arbitration and ADR, energy, natural resources, environment, and aviation.“

  • Conference runs into crisis as North threatens walkout

    Conference runs into crisis as North threatens walkout

    Signs of a huge crack in the on-going National Conference emerged yesterday, with the North’s delegates threatening a walkout over the unresolved mode of voting.

    The Lamido of Adamawa, Dr. Muhammadu Barkindo Mustapha, dropped the bombshell immediately the delegates settled for the day’s business.

    Dr. Mustapha was nominated for the conference on the platform of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria.

    Although conference Chairman Justice Idris Kutigi called for comments on whether the conference would call for memoranda from the public on its assignment, Dr. Mustapha sidetracked the issue to deliver what some delegates described as “an attempt to frighten the South”.

    Dr. Mustapha’s comment, a delegate said, “may have been rehearsed at a meeting of a group of northern delegates last night”.

    The royal father warned that the North should not be pushed to the wall.

    He threatened that if pushed to the wall, they would simply walkout of the conference.

    To underscore the point he was making, Dr. Mustapha declared that when they walk out there would be great consequences for the country.

    Some delegates attempted to shout him down, but he was not deterred.

    Even when the shout of “no, no, no” persisted, Dr. Mustapha was not dissuaded.

    At first, Justice Kutigi attempted to call him to order; he later urged him to continue.

    The royal father made it clear that he was sounding a “note of warning” before it is too late.

    He noted that it was obvious that if the country broke up many of those shouting him down would have no place to run to.

    And for all he cared, the people of Adamawa and a lot more people he did not specify will be accommodated in Cameroon.

    His kingdom, he said, extends to the Republic of Cameroon, especially the place called Adamawa State in Cameroon.

    He said: “I just want to sound a note of warning and that is why I requested to be given time to speak before the start of business today,

    “The note of warning I want to sound is that we should not take a cue from the so-called civilised people of western countries because they are always after their own interest and they can use anything – coercion, force and other means to protect their interest.

    “Listening to the debates and the behaviour of some delegates here, it really beats my imagination how a gathering of people like us will behave like the way we are behaving.

    “Mr. President delivered his address here and he laid down what we are supposed to discuss, but many people here, sorry to say, especially some elder statesmen who claimed to be strong loyalists of Mr. President…”

    There was shout of “point of order” from those who felt belittled by what Dr. Mustapha was saying.

    Justice Kutigi said: “Mr. speaker, the issue is whether you want the public to be invited to serve memoranda here.”

    Dr. Mustapha responded: “Mr. Chairman,that is not my request.”

    There was more shout of “no, no, no”

    Justice Kutigi interjected and said “Order, order; Mr. speaker, please continue”.

    Dr. Mustapha went on: “But, unfortunately, these people are in the forefront to contradict what Mr. President said. At the rate we are going, in the long run, this conference may not achieve its purpose.”

    There was another bout of “no, no, Mr. Chairman, no”.

    Justice Kutigi asked the delegates to allow Dr. Mustapha to conclude his speech.

    “Let him land; let him land; allow the speaker to land,” the chairman said.

    Dr. Mustapha continued: “In the long run, if we are not careful, this conference will flop – God forbid. And if it flops, the resultant effect can not be predicted by anyone of us here.

    “If something happens and the country disintegrates – God forbid – many of those who are shouting their heads off will have nowhere to go.

    “I and the people of Adamawa – and many others – have somewhere to go. I am the Lamido of Adamawa and my kingdom transcends Nigeria and Cameroon.

    “A large part of my kingdom is in the Republic of Cameroon, apart from my kingdom in Adamawa.

    Justice Kutigi interjected again: “Speaker, please answer the question on memoranda and stop wasting our time. Carry on.”

    Dr. Mustapha continued: “Part of that kingdom in Cameroon is called Adamawa State, in Cameroon. So, you see, if I run to that place, I can easily assimilate but I want to plead with us to adhere to laid down rules by Mr. President in his address, which include issue of voting.

    “Unless you want to disobey the President, then you can do whatever you want and if we are pushed to the wall, we will easily walk out of this conference.

    “Jingoism is not a preclusive of anyone; everyone here is a potential jingoist.’

    When Dr. Mustapha said “if we are pushed to the wall, we will easily walkout of this conference”, there was a sustained “no, no, no”, which apparently forced him to sit down.

    The conference adjourned plenary to tackle the controversial mode of voting.

    Deputy Chairman Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi announced a long list of delegates who had been selected to resolve the problem.

    The list, Akinyemi said, was the product of painstaking selection that lasted till the early hours of yesterday.

    The list contained mostly names of leaders of delegation and elder statesmen from various states, geo-political zones and groups.

    On the 49-member list are Gen. Ike Nwachukwu, Chief Edwin Clark, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, Awwulu Yadudu, Olu Falae, Justice Hassan Gummi, Iyorcha Ayu, Senator Ita Giwa, Atedo Peterside, Nduka Obaigbena, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Mallam Tanko Yakassai, Chief Mike Ahamba, Prof Jibril Aminu, Prof. Jerry Gana among others.

    It was, however, apparent that some delegates were not comfortable with the list.

    A delegate simply said: “We are waiting and watching how the issue will be resolved.”

    Before adjournment on Tuesday, the delegates mandated the chairman to consult with leaders of delegations to reach a consensus on the thorny question of whether the conference would decide issues by three-quarters majority or two-thirds majority, if consensus on an issue fails.

    For two days, the conference could not agree on the issue.

    The controversy threw up a North/South divide.

    Northern delegates are rooting for three-quarters majority. Southern delegates want two-thirds majority as the mode of voting.

    As at the time of filing this report, the behind-the-door meeting to resolve the voting pattern was still on.

    Shortly after the announcement by Akinyemi, Justice Kutigi adjourned the session and announced that delegates were to resume by 4pm.

  • Conference… No consensus yet on voting method

    Conference… No consensus yet on voting method

    The meeting of a select group of National Conference delegates convoked to resolve the contentious issue of voting pattern ended in stalemate yesterday.

    Though Chairman of the conference, Justice Idris Kutigi, announced to anxious delegates that the select group, referred to as “Super delegates” had gone long way in resolving issues at stake, an insider told our correspondent that “nothing much was achieved.”

    The select group, which included delegates from different geo-political zones, states and interest groups, meet for about five hours with no resolution.

    The insider said: “The coast is still not clear. Northern delegates insisted that issues we failed to reach consensus should be decided by three-quarters majority.

    “Southern delegates were resolute that two-thirds majority vote should be the deciding factor in cases we failed to achieve consensus.”

    He added that some northern delegates also said that issues should be decided only by consensus.

    The Abia State delegate noted that “three quarter majority and consensus are roads to no where because a single dissenting voice means that there is no consensus.”

    Senator Anietie Okon, Akwa Ibom State delegate described clamour for three quarter majority as “clearly an abnormally.”

    He said that even the rule book given to delegates stated clearly that to amend the rule to accommodate three quarters, should be by two-thirds majority vote.

    Okon noted that two-thirds majority vote is repeated in several sections of the rule book and therefore should be adopted as the guiding principle for voting.

    He said that the conference should not bring from the sky “strange formula for resolving voting arrangement.”

    Before Kutigi adjourned proceedings till Monday, he told delegates that the ‘Super’ delegates held a meeting and suspended deliberations at lunch time.

    He informed delegates that “we have gone a long way but there are still issues to discuss.”

    The chairman said the general delegate meeting could not continue because the select group meeting would continue after adjournment.

    Part of what the group discussed, he said, concerned the conduct of delegates at the conference.

    Kutigi decried what transpired in the chamber on Tuesday saying it was embarrassing to the entire delegates.

    While avoiding mentioning the issue of three quarters or two-thirds majority vote as the bone of contention, the chairman noted that any delegate who watched the conduct of some delegates on Tuesday must have been thoroughly embarrassed.

    He said efforts were in motion to ensure that such despicable conduct did not reoccur in the chamber.

    He told the delegates that the select group would brief them and give a comprehensive report of the behind- the-door meeting.

    Kutigi also noted that the list of the select group is not final saying “when the need arises, more names will be included.

    Delegates to the National Conference yesterday agreed that the secretariat should call for memoranda from the public on issues to be deliberated upon.

    The Chairman threw the suggestion to the delegates at the resumed plenary.

    “Do you authorise the secretariat to call for submission of memoranda from the public and for how long?”

    Most of the delegates answered: “Yes, for two weeks”.

    However, there were few dissenting voices, who said calling for memoranda would be a waste of time.

    Miss Mosumola Umoru, a youth delegate, said that memoranda would ensure that the voice of majority of Nigerians were heard, pointing out that some segments of the country were under-represented at the conference.

    “The youths, which have a population of about 80 million of Nigerians, are represented with only 18 delegates at this conference.

    “We have set up a group via twitter and other social media to collate the views and recommendations of the youth population with regards to direction at this conference.

    “If we call for memoranda, it will increase the contribution of Nigerians toward the process of developing a new nation,” she said.

    Dr Adeze Uwuzor, a delegate representing Ebonyi, also supported the idea of memoranda from the public.

    “Let it not look as if we are selfish here. Memoranda are necessary but the secretariat can summarise them so that all Nigerians can be heard.”

    Dr Dozie Ikedife, a delegate representing the South East, said: “The conference owes it a duty to ensure that everybody makes an input.

    “This is democracy, we should invite the public to make input,” she said.

    Mrs Felicia Sanni, a delegate representing the market women, also supported memoranda, saying that the opinion of 492 delegates could not cover the whole country

    In her contribution, Chief Josephine Anenih, an elder stateswoman, however, said that there “is no need for memoranda considering the available time for the conference.”

    She advised the delegates to consult with the people they were representing from Friday to Sunday, when the plenary would be on adjournment.

    “We should be mindful of the timeframe that we have; we have spent almost two weeks and if we start calling for memoranda, it will take up our time.

    “I do not think it is necessary; we came from several zones and interest groups and we sit here from Monday to Thursday.”

    Dr Bello Mohammed, a delegate representing Kebbi, however, noted that the Presidential Advisory Council on the conference had already gone round the country to collate memoranda.

    “Nigerians indicated issues they will like the conference to address in these memoranda and advised the secretariat to get the memoranda so as to save time,” he said.

    Dr Kunle Olajide, an elder statesman, said the memoranda that were submitted to the advisory council were specifically to state the form which the ongoing conference should assume.

    “The memoranda that were submitted to the advisory council were specifically for the modality of organising this conference and they have specific titles to which they were supposed to address.

    “As we speak here today, all Nigerians want to know what goes on here and it will be right and proper if we advertise for memoranda.

    “Let them (Nigerians) send in their views because now, we are discussing issues that pertain to re-launching Nigeria,” he said.

  • PHOTO: Confab in pictures

    PHOTO: Confab in pictures

     

  • Conference delegates get draft rules

    Conference delegates get draft rules

    The Secretariat of the National Conference, on Thursday in Abuja, released the Draft Rules of Proceedings to guide the conduct of the delegates to the conference.

    Mr Akpandem James, Assistant Secretary, Media and Communications of the Conference, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the Rules would be adopted by the delegates on Monday.

    “The Draft Rules and the 1999 Constitution have been ready since 6 a.m. this morning and we have made them available to the delegates to study.

    “However, it is only a draft; it is going to be debated clause by clause by the delegates on Monday. If they (delegates) adopt it, then it becomes the Rules guiding the conference.

    “But if there is any clause they feel should be amended or rejected, then they will decide at the  plenary on Monday.

    “What we are trying to do as a secretariat is to make the delegates as comfortable as possible to ensure smooth proceedings throughout the conference,” James said.

    NAN reports that some of the delegates had already collected copies of the Draft Rules and the 1999 Constitution.

    They also said that they had begun studying the “voluminous” Reports of previous conferences that were given to them at their inaugural meeting on Tuesday.

    Former Plateau Governor, Chief Fidelis Tapgun, who is a delegate to the conference, told NAN that delegates were already studying copies of the rules of procedures for the plenary and the constitution.

    Tapgun said that the procedures would have to be debated and adopted first before the plenary could really commence business on Monday.

    “The documents are the Report of the Political Bureau and the past Constitutional Conferences set up by (Olusegun) Obasanjo, (Ibrahim) Babangida and (Sani) Abacha.

    “We often see that committees are set up and nothing is done with their reports.

    “But we think that this time around, the President is determined that we would look at all the past reports and put them in one paper that will be useful to this country,” Tapgun said.