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Tag: National conference

  • Crisis as North threatens to quit National Conference

    Crisis as North threatens to quit National Conference

    Mistrust deepens

    Knocks for state creation proposal

    A Major crisis has broken out at the National Conference —the talkshop that is believed by the authorities to be the magic pill against Nigeria’s ailments— with the North threatening to pull out.

    The North’s  delegates have protested to the Conference’s Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi and his deputy, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi.

    Their demand: nullification of all resolutions so far taken through voice vote, which they said did not reflect the views of delegates.

    They insisted on “a proper ballot process” and queried why the conference’s leadership refused to use ballot boxes and papers already with the secretariat.

    They accused the leadership of alleged “floundering” on resolutions.

    The Northern Delegates Forum( NDF) hold an emergency meeting at Gombe Jewel Hotel  in Abuja to determine whether to go ahead with the conference or boycott it.

    The displeased delegates met with Justice Kutigi and Akinyemi at the weekend.

    Those who represented the Northern delegates are ex-Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Coomasie, Prof. Anwalu Yadudu, Senator Khairat Gwadabe, Mohammed Kumalia; and Mohammed Bello.

    It was learnt that the delegates were angry over the conference voice vote resolutions on state police, rotational presidency, adoption of six geopolitical zones, deletion of local government from the Federal Constitution, nature of federalism  to be adopted by the country, among others.

    A source said: “After last Thursday, session, the Northern delegates issued a communique rejecting all resolutions/ decisions so far taken by the National Conference because they came about through voice vote.

    “They alleged that sometimes, when the nays had it, the leadership will turn the result for the ayes.

    “They then sent the delegation to Kutigi and Akinyemi to revisit the resolutions by allowing members to vote through the ballot process.

    “They are demanding outright voting process on all issues to make the resolutions true reflections of the choices of delegates. They asked for the reopening of all issues.”

    It was gathered that Justice Kutigi and Akinyemi pleaded for understanding and assured the delegates that their complaints would be examined.

    “The leadership agreed that without physical counting, there was no way it could determine the real resolutions of delegates,” the source added.

    A member of  the National Conference, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, confirmed the anger of Northern delegates.

    He said: “This protest was not the first time that delegates from the North will raise issues with the leadership of the conference. But the audience with Kutigi and Akinyemi last Thursday was the icing on the cake.

    “I think Kutigi and Bolaji are behaving as if they have  an agenda. Before we started, we had to adopt our rules. The government came up with a recommendation that for a resolution to subsist, it will require the consent of  75 per cent of the delegates.

    “But, in the course of debate at the conference, it was reduced to 70 per cent. We agreed to bring down the threshold after two or three attempts at a consensus. Unless we have a physical count, there was no way to determine that all the resolutions allegedly taken had the consent of  70 per cent of the delegates.

    “ Any time there was a voice vote, the leadership gave a wrong verdict. For instance, while considering the report of the Committee on Restructuring, I stood up to raise observation on the voice vote  but  it was not allowed. They get the ayes and the nays of the North wrong.”

    The South’s delegates, The Nation learnt, have vowed not to allow a revisit of the resolutions already taken.

    A delegate from the Southwest, Comrade Yinka Odumakin, said: “The rules of the conference say the conference cannot revisit any issue which decision has been taken.”

    Another Southern delegate said: “Those who met Kutigi did not actually represent all Northern delegates. Those aggrieved were mostly from the Northeast and Northwest. Why are they trying to arm-twist Kutigi or intimidate Akinyemi when they were part of the resolutions at the conference?

    “I can tell you that delegates from  Northcentral or Middle Belt are not with these Northern delegates mounting pressure on the conference’s leadership.

    “We are expecting stormy sessions as from Monday but Southern and Middle Belt delegates are ready for these Northern delegates. The battle line is certainly drawn.”

    The concluding sessions of the Conference, which begin today, are likely to be stormy.

    The gap between northern and southern delegates has widened.

    Northern delegates, led by Yadudu, last week accused the conference leadership of working in concert with some southern delegates to rubber stamp an already prepared constitution.

    Akinyemi’s explanation that the conference secretariat had nothing to do with the “new constitution”, our correspondent learnt, did not satisfy the northern delegates.

    Meetings of southern and northern delegates were held at the weekend in Abuja.

    The aim of the “secret” meetings, our correspondent gathered, was to enable the two sides perfect their game plans on how to handle the controversial conference committee report on Devolution of Power.

    Northern delegates have rejected resolutions and decisions reached on Thursday from the report of the conference committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government.

    Some northern delegates were also not happy that a state was approved for the Southeast geo-political zone to bring it at par with others.

    Alhaji Magaji Dambatta from Northwest had argued that an additional state should not be “dashed” to the Southeast zone.

    But Chief Olu Falae told delegates that “we were all dashed states by the military”.

    Falae added that “in dashing the states, the military forgot the Southeast”.

    Falae’s stand foreclosed further arguments on the issue but some northern delegates who waited for the voting to shoot down the proposal were disappointed when delegates overwhelmingly voted in favour.

    The Devolution of Power committee, which was chaired by a former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie and co-chaired by a former Akwa Ibom Governor, Obong Victor Attah, made recommendations on resource control, revenue sharing formula, indigene/ settler problem and state police, among others.

    Sources at the meeting of the northern delegates told our correspondent that the delegates insisted that the leadership of the conference “must cause delegates to rescind Thursday’s resolutions, if the conference is to go on”.

    Southern delegates, on the other hand, are said to have resolved not to give in to the “antics of the North to always have their way in issues of national importance”.

    One of the southern delegates told our correspondent that Professor Yadudu who is allegedly “spearheading the breakup of the conference does not mean well for the country.”

    The delegate said, “We know very well that they are meeting. We are also meeting. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday sessions will determine the overall outcome of the conference.

    “We are determined to do the right thing but delegate should think that he can railroad his wishes and desires on other delegates. It will be fire-for-fire.”

     

  • National conference and graduate presidents

    National conference and graduate presidents

    IT was reported last week that the ongoing national conference has resolved that those seeking public office at executive level must hold a degree. Surely, the conference will clarify or reverse this decision. They can’t possibly mean that only graduates are competent to hold public office, or that even if graduates get into office, their degrees would guarantee success. On what convincing argument do national conference delegates anchor the dubious logic that a university degree portends success in public office? The late President Umaru Yar’Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan are the first graduates to hold the office of president. But there is absolutely no consensus that they ruled Nigeria with anything properly describable as sterling quality or the kind of proficiency graduates are believed to possess.

    More importantly, by suggesting that only graduates are qualified to hold executive positions at all levels of government and the legislature, the national conference exhibits poor grasp of the qualities leaders must possess. If this provision should nest in the final national conference document, it is sure to be traduced vigorously.

    There will be many other national conference resolutions that will jar public nerves. A referendum, contrary to the naivety of delegates, is unlikely to address and sieve many of these disagreeable provisions, for a referendum does not really sieve anything. From all indications, as the president himself indicated from the outset, there is no way the decisions of the national conference will not be vetted by the National Assembly. A referendum should come first to set the direction, followed by a draft constitution, and then a constituent assembly/national conference. For now, the country and its conference delegates have chosen to tilt at windmills.a

  • Our Girls; National Conference:  Demand automatic dismissal and 21 years for election cheating!

    Our Girls; National Conference:  Demand automatic dismissal and 21 years for election cheating!

    Our Girls’ from Chibok are still missing since April 15. Still no news and Chibok area has been attacked again. We pray.

    Happily the Non Sovereign National Conference has endorsed Diaspora voting, something very easy to organise in developed countries. Perhaps INEC and the political leadership fear the disgrace of the results, both in ease of getting the results and the possible swing effect of the vote.

    Corruption is about who gets what office, installing persons and particularly undeserving relations in posts they have no moral right to occupy, thuggery with maiming and murder, inflicting Grievous Bodily Harm for whatever reason, enacting immorally punishing laws to cripple the citizenry while squandering the funds so generated, the non-supply of libraries and textbooks and novels and science equipment and sanitation and quality teachers to schools, the unleashing of unsupervised agencies on the masses for traffic or tax controls.

    Will the real Nigerians please make themselves seen and heard? You, no doubt, have your own list of true Nigerians. Nigeria’s graves are full of rotting flesh and dried bones of true Nigerians. It is a pity we cannot say the same for the corridors of power where Salaries and Perks leave little for Nigeria while those who actually die, gain next to nothing for the very questionable privilege of dying for Nigeria.

    When exactly did politics become synonymous with or part of the definition of stealing?  The issue of party funding must be spelt out clearly to protect the budget. What is the method of party funding in and out of government? The lack of clarity and transparency in party funding is a national corruption calamity which costs the citizens dearly and will bring down the country if not made transparent and public. Parties must be forced to stop stealing [from] the budget. Nobody is open about party funding. Should it be a percentage of the salaries of party appointees? If the country thinks political parties are entitled to 1%, 0.5% and 0.1% of the budget for 1st, 2nd, 3rd at the polls, then let the Non-Sovereign National Conference say so, OK? Let it say so and allocate it through National Assembly (NASS). But stop stealing, legally and illegally, for the sake of the children. Parties must stop stealing from the budget or they are no different from any other thief or a policeman who takes bribes at checkpoint and then arrests a thief for stealing in the market.

    Let the Non-Sovereign National Conference protect Nigerians from Protocol in Nigeria by approving the insertion of ‘All Protocol Assumed to Be Observed’ as acceptable introduction in our constitution to protect all Masters of Ceremony. Let us insist that Nigerian time is dead and lectures, conferences and meetings can start promptly and not wait for political dignitaries.

    We have trivialised the violence of politics and made it part and parcel and accepted. ‘Vote rigging’ which is stealing the mandate of the people, ‘political murder’, political thugs, political thuggery and political violence all should simply be named according to the criminal code. Stealing with intent to defraud, premeditated murder, thuggery, causing Grievous Bodily Harm etc. The dark cloak of politics does not make a murder less deadly, or a beating less bloody or an election less evil than stealing from a bank after killing the staff or the security police! Until the punishments are the same as for out-of-politics crimes, political cheating will continue.

    Politics must learn from sportsmanship and have a radical rethink. We, through the Non-Sovereign National Conference, should demand dismissal for cheating in elections, never a rerun. A rerun is not for a cheat but for a genuine mistake like a false-start and now you can even get dismissed for a false start. Armstrong, the cheating cyclist and hundreds of other athletes even in Nigeria have been dismissed, and suspended, not offered a rerun. When a politician cheats in a political contest, he should be dismissed and prosecuted and jailed for the very serious crime of ‘attempting to steal the people’s mandate through fraud and deception’ and the financial crime of ‘attempting to extort salaries and perks through falsifying the facts by illegitimate and illegal means’. The second in the race should automatically take his place and so on until there is a candidate who is found without stain. Cheating is not a legitimate political tool just because most do it. It is criminal and must lead to dismissal and banning from political office for up to life. The political party also has a supporting role in this and should also be punished for similar offences as it often seizes power with cheating and sometimes inflicts even more violence than a military coup. The accepted name of ‘election malpractice’ trivialises a serious criminal offence which is worse than ‘examination malpractice’ for which the same politicians voted to jail youth culprits for 21 years. What is good for the bad youth is better for the bad adult politician who should know and do better. Both party and candidate should be separately severely punished for criminal activities committed by either or both. Such punishment can be monetary but must include a ban of the party for a time in proportion to the damage to the nation. Nigerians must demand that their phone cameras are legitimate weapons against checkpoint and election malpractice and be authorised to use them unhindered by uniformed authority.

  • Delegates differ on rule of debate on committees’ reports

    Delegates differ on rule of debate on committees’ reports

    The adoption of the National Conference rule on debate of committee reports stalled proceedings yesterday for over three hours.

    Delegates were divided between North and South, with North’s delegates backing the Conference Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, who suggested outlawing debates on committee reports.

    But South’s delegates kicked, insisting that the move circumvents Order 9 Rule 2 of the Conference Rule of Procedures.

    Delegates, on Monday, hurriedly agreed with Justice Kutigi when he mooted the idea of outlawing debates on committee reports to save time.

    Before the close of business that day, Ms Annkio Briggs raised a point of information.

    She asked “whether we have adopted Chairman’s proposal that there should not be debate of committee reports”.

    The delegate said conference should revisit the issue to allow her colleagues make their comments on committees’ reports.

    Ms Briggs’ question prompted other delegates to take a second look at the proposal.

    Southern delegates were said to have met for several hours on Monday at the close of proceedings to reconsider Justice Kutigi’s proposal.

    It was at the meeting, a source said, that a resolution was taken to reopen the issue through a motion.

    Southern delegates reportedly reckoned that outlawing the debates on committees’ reports would lead to glossing over some critical committee reports, such as the Report of the Committees on Devolution of Power and Forms of Government, which are still pending.

    Most Northern delegates seemed to have been taken unawares by the turn of events.

    Attempts by the leadership to explain that the conference needed to save time by outlawing debates on committees’ reports, were futile.

    Justice Kutigi reluctantly ruled that the conference would revert to the former mode of debating committees’ reports.

    The chairman called attention to the drawback of allowing every delegate to comment on each committee’s report.

    He warned that if the conference was able to conclude eight reports, “we will stop and turn in the rest to the government” with a proviso that “maybe we will allow the next generation to finish the work”.

    Justice Kutigi adjourned for 10 minutes, apparently to allow frayed nerves to calm down.

    It appeared that the chairman’s announcement did not go down well with most Northern delegates, who convoked an emergency meeting, which some delegates said deliberated on the unfolding scenario.

    After 10 minutes, Justice Kutigi attempted to call the conference to order, but Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, Labour Party (LP) representative, told the chairman that Northern delegates were not in the chamber.

    Nwanyanwu urged Justice Kutigi to tarry awhile “because it will be wrong to continue deliberation without some critical stakeholders”.

    After some time, the Northern delegates strolled into the chamber for the deliberation to continue.

    At the time of filing this report, it was not clear what the delegates resolved to do.

    When proceedings resumed, Justice Kutigi called the delegates who wanted to comment on the Report of the Committee on Agriculture.

    Before the conference adjourned for lunch, Deputy Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, announced that the Committee of Elders, “who know themselves”, would meet with Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

    A source said: “We feared that there was a plot to truncate proper debate on critical reports, which we will not allow.”

    The motion, titled: Rule for Debate of Committee Reports, was sponsored by Senator Anietie Okon, a South-South delegate; Yinka Odumakin (Southwest) and co-sponsored by 18 other Southern delegates, including Chief Edwin K. Clark, General Ike Nwachukwu, Senator Femi Okuronmu, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Air Cmdr. Idongesut Nkanga, Chief A. K. Horsfall, Prof. A. B. C. Nwosu, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, Sen. Adolphus Wabara and Chief Raymond Dokpesi.

    The motion, which was promptly handed over to Justice Kutigi on resumption of proceedings yesterday, reads: “Whereas the National Conference Procedure Rules 2014, provides for Conference leadership to make further rules for the conference under Order1 Rule 2.

    “In all cases not provided for in these rules, the Chairman may in consultation with the Deputy Chairman and Secretary in pursuance of his mandate make further rules for the success of the Conference provided a simple majority of delegates present and voting adopts such order.

    “Considering that Order 9 Rule 2 also provides

    “Such representative body shall speak for a period of ten minutes or such other time as may be approved by the Chairman on any given subject. Provided that delegates shall be entitled to make written submissions which shall be clearly typed and bear the signature and articulates of the delegates or interest representing same.

    “Aware that the introduction of a new rule of debate of Committee Reports introduced by Conference “Chairman during plenary on Monday, 9th June , 2014 did not meet the provisions of Order 1 Rule 2 as  the new decision on proposing amendments was never put to conference to enable members vote Yes or No.

    “Conscious of the fact that outlawing debates on reports circumvents Order 9 Rule 2; Conference is hereby invited to resolve as follows.

    “In order to have a balance between saving time and doing justice to Committee Reports, Conference should allow each zone to nominate five members representing various platforms from within it to speak on each report before recommendations are voted upon.”

     

     

  • Delegates may ask for more time

    Delegates may ask for more time

    THERE were indications yesterday that the National Conference may request for further extension of time to conclude its assignment.

    This emerged as the chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, told the delegates yesterday that the conference had only five weeks to turn in its report to the Federal Government.

    Justice Kutigi, who repeatedly informed delegates that the conference was running out of time, explained that the information became necessary so that delegates would do the needful to save time.

    The chairman also told delegates that the conference had debated and adopted reports of four committees with about 17 reports still outstanding.

    He suggested that the time the delegates used to debate committee reports should be saved to consider and vote on the committees’ recommendations.

    According to him, delegates who have amendments on any recommendations should forward same to the conference secretariat.

    Though majority of the delegates agreed that there was need to avoid a waste of time, Justice Kutigi’s proposal did not go down well with some members, especially those who claimed to have been shut out of speaking since the conference started on March 17.

    Those opposed to the proposal insisted that rather than foreclose the debate of committees’ reports, the time allotted to each delegate to speak should be cut down.

    Following some delegates’ opposition to Justice Kutigi’s suggestion, Deputy Chairman Prof Bolaji Akinyemi reminded the delegates that the conference had been extended for four weeks.

    Prof Akinyemi said Justice Kutigi led a group to the Presidency to request for a six-week extension, adding that the government granted only four weeks.

    He prayed the delegates to optimally use the remaining time because the conference had barely five weeks to conclude its deliberations, write its report, bring back the report for adoption before sending it to the President.

    Some delegates told our correspondent that there is need for a further extension of time “to allow us do a thorough job”.

    One of the delegates from the South-South said: “If we are expected to do justice to the work we have been assigned, more time is needed. We cannot rush the debates, especially when we have not considered the main issues for which the conference was convoked in the first instance.”

    The Federal Government extended the conference from June 30 to July 31.

     

  • National Conference rejects adoption of modular refineries

    National Conference rejects adoption of modular refineries

    The National Conference has rejected an official recognition for illegal crude oil refineries.

    The delegates also unanimously rejected the idea of the government setting up a development programme for crude technology, besides rejecting a recommendation for the setting up of a trust fund for the development of sciences.

    But the delegates adopted a recommendation to censor social media.

    The decision of the delegates followed the adoption of the recommendations of the Committee on Science, Technology and Development yesterday.

    While the Committee recommended a development programme for crude technology, rather than being rejected by the government, the delegates, through an amendment to the recommendation, believed there was no need for illegal refineries to complement the consumption and export of oil products.

    After the question was put to the delegates and the voice vote taken, His Highness, Dr Edmund Daukoru, the Amanayabo of Nembe, a delegate on that platform of traditional rulers, said crude oil refining had gone beyond technology.

    He said the rejection was beyond personal consideration, adding that national interest should supersede sectional or personal interests.

    The monarch said many of his “boys” engaged in illegal refining of crude oil, yet he had to vote against the committee’s recommendation, he said.

    Dr Daukoru said: “The nays are not a matter of sentiment, as I see that the matter is being reduced to sentiment; for or against is beyond sentiment.

    “We have been considering mini-refineries for a very long time and now we are talking of micro-refineries. The reason the policy is not being implemented is because without the cracking capacity, you recover just about a third of crude oil stock being put in.

    “Also, what is being put out, in terms of quality, is not very friendly with the kind of usages it is being put to – whether into generating sets or sophisticated automatic engines. They actually destroy your engines.

    “So, even in terms of quality and the percentage of crude oil being utilised, the mini-refineries technology is too crude.

    “The new technology is not like if you put the mini-refineries together in a place, they can easily acquire the latest technology. The world has moved on to cracking capacity where the entire crude stream is maximised, not just a small percentage of it and the rest thrown away.

    “For that reason and the reason of national economy, the nays have voted correctly. Even though the illegal refineries operators are my boys, the national interest should come first.”

    The delegates also voted against the establishment of a National Trust Fund for science and technology to be funded through a mandatory contribution of between two and five per cent of the gross earnings of local and multi-national companies.

    The fund was recommended to be managed by a Presidential Council on Science and National academies, including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).

    Rejecting the recommendation, the delegates said existing funds should be used to develop science.

    They said further contributions into such fund would amount to double taxation with current contributions to the Education Tax Fund (ETF).

    Among others, the delegates adopted the recommendations on the development of science clubs in schools, compulsory computer education and provision of equipment in primary schools.

    The conference also voted for the deployment of high-speed broadband in primary and secondary schools.

    The committee’s recommendation for total ban on export raw materials to encourage industrial growth in the country was rejected.

    The recommendation that public broadcasting organisations be restricted to a limited amount of commercials in a favour of private broadcasting organisations was also rejected.

    Also rejected was a suggestion that Colleges of Technology should be upgraded to the status of universities.

    The delegates adopted the recommendation that it was expedient for the Federal Government to censor social media by deploying legal guidelines for internet usages.

  • National Conference report may disappoint Nigerians, says

    The expectations of Nigerians that the outcome of the National Conference will effect radical changes in the polity may not be fulfiled, the Presidential Advisory Committee Chairman Dr Femi Okunrounmu has said.

    Okurounmu said so far, all indications are that the progressives may not have the kind of far-reaching changes that they hoped for but there is still some hope that we may have some departures from the status quo.

    It was during a lecture at the 2014 Luncheon of the Government College, Ibadan, Old Boys Association held in Lagos yesterday. Okurounmu spoke  on The theme of the lecture is: “After the Conference, Whither the Nation?”.

    The Chairman of the occasion, former Governor of old Oyo State, Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo shared Okurounmu’s view by saying emphatically that the National Conference will fail. He said the Federal Government got it wrong from the beginning.

    Olunloyo said government rejected the Okurounmu panel recommendation that some of the delegates should be elected by the people but went ahead to appoint all of them. He said the government is recycling the same group of people to run down the country.

    Okunrounmu noted that very early in the conference, three categories of delegates emerged. The first category consisting of delegates from the Southwest and to a lesser extent the Southeast, were eagerly anticipating fundamental changes in the status quo, such as a return to regionalism, parliamentary system of government and devolution of powers to the regions or zones.

    “Thus, the Middle Belt opposed to regionalism, fearing they may once again come under the domination of the ethnic nationalities from which state creation had freed them. They in fact want more states created for ethnic minorities still entrapped in core northern states with Hausa-Fulani  dominant ethnic majorities.

    “The third category consisted of delegates from the core north. They came with a very straight forward agenda, which is to block any change and ensure the sustenance of the status quo.

    “So, the Conference has mostly been a clash of the Southwest against the core north. While the Southwest pushed forcefully for the realisation of all elements of their agenda, they found themselves almost in every case pitted against the core north, enjoying only lukewarm support from the Southeast and a near total indifference from the rest of the country.

    “The totality of the north’s position is that while they may accept some inconsequential amendments to the 1999 Constitution, they are doggedly opposed to the writing of a new one . Not even with the President’s green light as expressed in his conference inaugural address that a new constitution could be recommended if the conference found it desirable”.

    However, the committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government has recommended the retention of the states as the federating units although allowing for the possibility of contiguous states setting up a joint zonal commission to pursue their common economic development, welfare and security as well as to merge, if they wish, provided they meet certain stipulated conditions, he stated.

    Okurounmu said the committee also recommended a modified presidential system of government with a unicameral legislature and with most government ministers including the vice president, expected to come from among the elected legislators.

  • Confab delegates set three year moratorium for fuel subsidy removal

    Confab delegates set three year moratorium for fuel subsidy removal

    Delegates to the ongoing National Conference yesterday resolved to set a three year moratorium within which to abolish the payment of fuel subsidy.

    This is a compromise position of the delegates who disagreed sharply on whether or not to abolish fuel subsidy regime in the country.

    The conference committee on Public Finance and Revenue had recommended total removal of fuel subsidy due to the massive corruption associated with it.

    While some delegates agreed with the recommendation others opposed it and urged the conference to reject it.

    Yesterday Deputy Chairman of the conference, Chief Bolaji Akinyemi read out a compromise motion on the issue which he subjected to a voice vote.

    The motion was presented by Labour delegate, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu and seconded by Dr. Joe Nwogu.

    In the end delegates agreed on a three year moratorium to remove fuel subsidy on the condition that the Federal Government should fix old refineries and establish new ones before implementing withdrawal of fuel subsidy.

    Delegates noted that the establishment of refineries would mitigate the negative effects of withdrawal of subsidy on fuel.

    Delegates adopted the recommendation that the budget of Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission shall be on first line charge but rejected the recommendation that amendment be made to ensure that salaries of elected officers shall be in line with that of the civil servants.

    They also rejected that recommendation that the Fiscal Responsibility Act be enshrined in the constitution.

    The recommendation that designated departments and agencies must comply with the constitutional provision which required that they should remit a percentage of they revenues generated to the federation and to withhold 20 per cent was also rejected.

    Also rejected was the proposal for the establishment of Revenue Courts to expedite prosecution of offenders.

    The proposal that a solid mineral development agency be created was not approved while the recommendation that solid mineral development fund be increased from 1.65% to 5% was accepted.

    Delegates rejected the proposal that the fund should be operated as a venture capital while they accepted that the fund be deducted from the total revenue and not from the federation account.

    Delegates accepted that solid minerals and mines should be included in the Concurrent Legislative List of the Federation.

    The proposal that the Sovereign Wealth Fund be funded from the Federation Account and not from the excess crude account was a rejected.

    They accepted the proposal that indiscriminate approval of waivers should be stopped.

    They rejected that recommendation that government should devise a safety valve for Ministries Departments and Agencies to retain a percentage of their obvious budgets until a new budget.

    They agreed that debt ceiling should be placed on government borrowing which shall be by way of bonds.

    In other words, government borrowing should only be by bonds.

    Delegates accepted the proposal that the Federal Government should source for funds to revamp  steel companies through Public Private Partnership (PPP).

    They accepted that government should enact an ill-gotten Gains Act that will place the burden of proof of innocence on the accused.

    Delegates accepted the recommendation that the retinue of public office holders at all levels should be reduced drastically.

    They rejected proposal that port development and ownership should be on the Concurrent List and also rejected the recommendation that the legislature should strengthen and perfect its oversight function

    Delegates rejected that proposal that a minimum of 30 per cent in the Excess Crude Account should be transferred to Sovereign Wealth Fund.

    The implication is that the recommendation that 50 per cent of ECA be transferred SWF remained.

    The proposal that debt monitoring offices should be established in each state to monitor the utilization of projects of borrowed funds was accepted while the recommendation that 10 per cent of ECA should be devoted to Agricultural Fund accepted

    Delegates rejected the proposal that tax waivers should only be limited to military hardware while they also rejected the recommendation that VAT revenue should  not be sent into the distributable pool but should be retained in the states where they are generated.

  • Can conference resolve national question?

    Can conference resolve national question?

    There is no sign that the National Conference is mustering efforts to resolve the contentious issues germane to true federalism, reports Group Poliltical Editor  EMMANUEL OLADESU.

    The moment delegates to the National Conference failed to reach a consensus on the fundamental issues that necessitated the setting up of the conference, the hope that the exercise would bear good fruits disappeared.

    Advocates of true federalism were stunned when many delegates rejected the proposal on the state police, in spite of the security challenges confronting the country.

    However, when the committee on Citizenship, Immigration and Related Matters commenced sitting last month, with 19 members in attendance, there was hope that there would be a robust debate and novel recommendations would emerge at the end of its deliberation. Two issues which Nigerians expect the conference to resolve are state police and formula for sharing the national cake. But, the committee on Citizenship, Immigration and Related Matters also has a big task on its hand.

    The chairman of the committee, Dr. Muhammad Zaiyanu Abdullahi, presided over deliberations. The committee deliberated on 10 issues. They are the movement of goods, persons and services, citizenship and nationality, integrated national database, immigration and internal security, multiple citizenship of Nigeria, residency and indigeneity and residency (indigenes/settlers dichotomy). Others are refugee and asylum, national census and border control. However, it was unanimously resolved that the issue of internally displaced persons (IDP) should be included as one of the thematic issues.

    A member of the committee, Hajiya Hauwa Bukar, suggested that the committee should devolve into sub-committees to accommodate the various thematic issues, but most of the members preferred the grouping of related thematic issues and subsequent deliberation of the issues by all members.

    Dr. Magoro and Hajiya Ladi Ibrahim suggested that the committee should review recommendations of previous conferences and panels, which are related to its current theme. Similarly, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife noted that the 1993 and 2005 Conferences as well as the report of the Alfa Belgore Committee would be handy in this regard.

    Dr. Garba Ibrahim requested that the Conference Secretariat should forward to the Committee all received memoranda relating to its theme. He also advised the committee to be circumspect in extending invitations to relevant stakeholders, including service chiefs, in order not to encroach on other committees with priority need to invite such persons.

    The Deputy Chairman of the committee, Dr. Chidimma Uwajimogu, deferred to an advice by Mr. Atedo Peterside that the committee should in the consideration of its thematic issues, determine where the country needs to get to, where it is now and how the country can get to where it wants to be with regards to the various thematic issues. She opined that these should guide the committee in articulating and executing its work plan.

    On immigration and internal security, the committee expressed concern over lapses in border control. While resolving to make recommendations for improved funding of the Immigration Service and adequate training of its personnel, it considered suggestions on the need to recommend for the establishment of Special Border Control Posts to address current border security challenges.

    On the issue of multiple citizenship, the committee aligned with extant constitutional provisions on multiple citizenship; but carefully considered the implications of recommending that indigeneship be granted to Nigerians resident outside their states of origin.

    It proposed to recommend that Nigerians who seek to become indigenes of their places of residence may be compelled to renounce their indigeneship of any other area in the country.

    The committee considered a proposal to recommend that to, avoid conflicts, a Nigerian who may change indigeneship, may not aspire to head the traditional institutions at their new area(s) of indigeneship. It also proposed to make recommendations for the amendment of the constitution to address perceived contradictions on indigeneship; as well as to lay emphasis on nationalism rather than indigeneship in its recommendations.

    The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr David  Paradang, highlighted the challenges facing the service, particularly inadequate Land Border Control Posts, manpower, insufficient patrol vehicles, modern technology and the need for welfare and insurance for officers.

    Paradang also enumerated the various efforts being made by the Service to address current immigration challenges, including the establishment of a Border Patrol Corps, which was recently approved by the Federal Government.

    Deliberations by the second sub-committee were anchored on the need to foster nationalism and reflect same across all the thematic issues under consideration. It considered that nationalism would greatly address conflicts arising from the sometimes polarising implications of emphasis on indigeneship and related issues.

    However, the sub-committee agreed to consider the issue of residency together with indigeneity (indigene/settler dichotomy), rather than duplicate deliberations on the former as reflected in the initial outline of the thematic issues.

    Multiple citizenship was also restricted to ‘dual citizenship’, which is contained in the 1999 Constitution. The sub-committee concentrated on issues relating to citizenship and nationality, indigeneity and residency and dual citizenship.

    During deliberations, it was agreed that the issue of citizenship and nationality was adequately addressed by the provisions of Section 25 of the 1999 Constitution. Section 25 states inter alia: 25 (1) The following persons are citizens of Nigeria by birth, namely– (a) every person born in Nigeria before the date of independence, either of whose parents or any of whose grandparents belongs or belonged to a community indigenous to Nigeria.

    It  therefore, recommended that Sections 27 (d) and 29 (4) (b) be expunged from the Constitution; and that Section 26 (2) (a) should read “every person” in place of “any woman.”

    On indigeneity and residency, the sub-committee recommended that Section 42 (2) of the 1999 Constitution should over-ride any other contrary/conflicting provision e.g. Section 147.

    Section 42 (2) states inter alia: “No citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability”.

    It further recommended that Section 42 (3) of the 1999 Constitution be expunged. The sub-committee referred to page 28, item 26 of the Report of the Presidential Committee on Review of Outstanding Issues from recent constitutional Conferences, and recommends the proviso: “provided that such a person meets his/her basic civic obligations”.

    The sub-committee aligned itself with extant constitutional provisions on dual citizenship and recommends that such dual citizens may not be restricted to aspire to any elective political office.

    Other recommendations made by the sub-committee include the inclusion of “gender” alongside “sex” wherever it may appear in the constitution, especially. In  Section 41. It also considered a proposal that married women should have the right to choose from state of origin or that of their husbands; with a caveat that where a choice is made, the woman should stick to the choice.

     

     

     

     

  • The National Conference: Participation to what end?

    The National Conference: Participation to what end?

    When I was informed of my membership of the National Conference, alias Confab, two thoughts hit me: the constitutionality of the Conference and participation to what end?

    The constitutionality of the conference has been justifiably questioned. We have elected Parliaments, both at the State and Federal levels constitutionally put together, so what qualifies the National Conference to sit over matters affecting the State. This school of thought posits that the conference is illegal, without constitutional backing and therefore unnecessary.

    I must say as a lawyer, I found this line of thought very persuasive from the legal point of view.

    Question however is, is the National Conference all about law and legality? Was it set up to resolve issues from a legal perspective?

    That Nigeria is a country not defined in terms of values, nationality, nationhood and feelings of one people is not in doubt. We often have expressed and it is getting louder by the day, what Nigeria means to us, our family, ethnic groups, etc. is very disconnected terms fed by feelings of alienation. The raw truth is that we are a nation only in name, as our loyalty lies either with our various ethnic groups or some other affiliation but hardly with the entity known as Nigeria.

    There is a need to talk. Nigeria must go back and redefine or renegotiate our values, nationhood, etc. and these cannot be achieved within the confines of the laws. This is probably why  Nigerians have always clamored for a conference, a Sovereign National Conference, that will discuss all that is Nigeria, agree to agree or to disagree, but at least come out with a feeling of being heard, or listened to. A sense of belonging or accommodation as the case maybe. This probably informs why the President in his Inaugural speech to the Conference spoke of decisions based on consensus.

    The question of legality or legal backing for the Conference therefore, while it makes for a persuasive argument, in my opinion becomes shaky against the exigencies and the needs of the people that these laws were made for.

    Even at that, a school of thought cites Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as coating the President with the powers to set up the National Conference.

    Scholars have relied heavily on the (b) part of the law to justify the legality of the Conference by making the case that executive powers vested in the President by the Constitution, extend to matters of executing the Constitution, to all matters which the National Assembly, for the time being, has powers to legislate on.  The National Conference is cited as one of these.

    Notwithstanding the merits or demerits of either of these arguments, I am of the opinion that this is a matter that goes to the roots of our feelings of being together as a nation, one that Nigerians have long clamored for, and to that extent, making it happen for our people is the most important thing, if only to reflect deeply on our “union” as a nation.

    Granted this is not a Sovereign National Conference, yet it is a conference that is put together to discuss EVERYTHING wrong with Nigeria save for a break up. It is as close to a Sovereign National Conference, as a conference can be. The reason Nigerians have always demanded and prayed for a Sovereign National Conference is essentially to discuss most of the same issues now discussed: devolution of power, resource control, as well as mode and type of governance,  in all  terms, to be TOTAL and ACCEPTABLE to Nigerians.

    This issue of term totally acceptable to Nigerians is the reason for the first real heated argument at the conference. The question of voting on recommendations was what percentage of votes would be required for an agreement on issues.

    While some delegates favored the global standards of 2/3 as the acceptable percentage in settling an issue, most Delegates, including me, were for 75% or 3/4 of total delegates in coming to an agreement on decisions.

    The thinking of most of us on the issue of 75% stems from the fact that if we are talking consensus, taking everybody along and enhancing the feeling of inclusiveness, then we should step to as near a position as possible of consensus. If we were to settle for 2/3 which the National Assembly uses in resolving issues, then we might as well leave these issues to the National Assembly! Our role is principally to jaw jaw in a unique way to provide the nation with recommendations which most Nigerians would identify with, and not just a small majority of Nigerians.

    Of course in resolving the above issue, passions were raised and abusive words exchanged etc. This to my mind merely exhibited the sincerity of purpose Delegates came with. You can hardly agree on such sensitive issues without passions being stirred especially if people are sincere in terms of emotions. 70% was eventually settled on.

    There is also the thinking that the National Conference, will go nowhere in terms of the recommendations coming to fruition and also the unnerving but highly palpable suspicion that it has been put together to actualize a President-Jonathan agenda and nothing else.

    Again these are all valid concerns. We have seen three past conferences of this nature with their recommendations purportedly chilling in the trash basket. Why should this be any different? So why engage in it when it most probably will  yield nothing?

    Firstly, on the issue of a President Jonathan agenda.  If the President truly has an agenda, then he did not go about it smartly.  It is extremely difficult to bring together 492 persons for three months, allow them set their rules and discuss everything for this period and imagine you can control the entire chain of events.

    The delegates at the conference are being closely watched by Nigerians, putting some form of citizen pressure on us; the press is covering the entire proceedings live, with the dynamics of conversations and alliance building going on, some form of freedom is perceived; and believe me,  Goodluck Ebele Jonathan cannot control this body for long, if at all he is controlling it.

    If his thinking is to control and set an agenda, he might very well have opened up a Pandora’s box, over which he has no control. This conference cannot be guided or controlled. History has shown this to be the case. Ask Obasanjo and his third term project, which he mistakenly threw to the parliament. From that moment on, he lost control.  I guess he regrets that to this day (or with the benefit of hindsight, maybe not. Who is to say?).

    Given the rather frosty relationship between the National Conference and the National Assembly, will the National Assembly be minded to allow the issue of a Referendum in the amended constitution see the light of the day? Even if the National parliament successfully inserts a clause on Referendum, can the state Parliaments come to the table to also agree on the same? Even if they all do, what about the issue of time? Remember we have just about 9 months to the next elections.

    The above are the challenges. Yet assuming these challenges are all successfully navigated, how will the resolutions and recommendations of the conference be tabled to Nigerians and by which body?

    Be that as it may, my conviction and thoughts are that, with so much money being spent on the conference, with the conference being the most representative in the annals of our nation, with citizens pressure and media attention, we may well come away with the most acceptable recommendations to Nigerians and it will be a huge shame to have all these wasted.

    This is therefore appealing that we collectively lobby our Senators, Representatives and Assembly members to insert the clause on referendum in the amended constitution, for the possibility of eventually giving some teeth to the Conference’s resolutions.

    It is my considered opinion that it is wiser and more probative to engage with and contribute to the Conference. Staying away owing to the assumed eventual failure or whatever other reasons may lead to regret if the conference’ resolutions eventually see the light of the day, and we failed to add some value or quality to it, though the opportunity was presented.

    Mom, a Kaduna based lawyer is a delegate at the national Conference.