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The Dr. Femi Okurounmu-led Presidential Advisory Committee on the Proposed National Conference has today submitted it’sreport to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking while receiving the report, President Jonathan said the
proposed dialogue offers a unique opportunity for Nigeria to deepen its democracy and strengthen the nation, rather than to destroy or weaken its union.
national-conference
The President also expressed his appreciation to members of the committee for consulted widely in compiling its report and recommendations, just as he promised his government will study and act on recommendations of the report.
Jonathan’s speech:
PROTOCOLS:
1. I welcome you all.
2. The submission of the Report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference marks another milestone in our march towards building a better and more cohesive society for us and our children.
3. In spite of the circumstances of the birth of our country in 1914 and the several challenges of Nation building, Nigerians have in the last 53years demonstrated the belief that our diversity notwithstanding, we are a nation with great potentials. The task before us is to build a strong and united union.
4. In the last few decades, there have been issues that have challenged our determination as a people brought together by God in this great land of promise.
5. This Committee was therefore inaugurated to advice Government on a framework for Nigerians to review and discuss these challenges and proffer a sustainable way forward as to how we could build a nation where our citizens could live in peace and achieve their greatest potentials without any hindrance whatsoever.
6. As I said during the inauguration of this Committee, this administration stands for a stronger and more united Nigeria and shall do everything within its powers to practically pursue this noble goal.
7. I thank you Mr Chairman and other members for your commitment, resilience and dedication to the service of our fatherland. I commend you for the timely and inclusive manner, in which you carried out your assignment. You have no doubt, contributed significantly to the process of building a stronger union of the Nigerian family.
8. Mr Chairman, I am delighted that the Committee consulted widely in compiling its report and recommendations, reaching out to various socio-political and economic interest groups.
9. I am told that majority of Nigerians who participated in the Interactive Sessions that you conducted in 13 major cities across the country, expressed agreement with our commitment to an indissoluble, united and stronger Nigeria. I understand, however, that one person demanded an outright dissolution of our federalist structure.
10. In order to meet the yearnings of Nigerians and provide our people the platform they desire, Government will study this Report and act on its recommendations.
11. Nation-building, always comes with challenges defined by the prevailing political, economic, social and cultural mood of the people. We cannot ignore such challenges; rather we must realistically address them.
12. As our founding fathers did, we must appreciate that we are one large, diverse family, under God, and take steps to understand those variables that militate against our unity and aspirations to build a better society, and confront them with collective determination to move forward, thereby making our diversity, our source of strength.
13. Our democracy is still young and for us to provide life’s abundance for our people and play a noble role in world affairs, we must nurture and cultivate correct democratic values. The proposed dialogue offers this unique opportunity for us to deepen our democracy and strengthen our Nation, rather than to destroy or weaken our union.
14. I would like to assure all Nigerians that we will partner with all stakeholders to convene this dialogue, which outcome will add value to the process of building a stronger, united, more democratic and stable Nigeria. This discussion process is for the benefit of the entire Nation. Every Nigerian, as individual or as a group, has an important role to play to ensure its success.
15. Once again, I thank the Committee for a job well done even as I express my appreciation to all Nigerians for the cooperation given to this Committee.
16. I thank you.
– See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/confab-cttee-submits-report-jonathan/#sthash.3jJaelMN.dpuf
The effect of Confab what it could mean or connote for Nigeria!
Let it be said and we do so clearly; if what is recommended cannot be all adopted so as to accommodate the feelings and confidence (allay/ douse fears) of stakeholders in Nigeria, best will be to discuss ‘Confederation’ for the Polity – Nigeria because sections of it want to develop their people and children and those who do not want to develop should remain and should not pose obstruction/ encumbrance for those who want to progress – it is simple as this! You’re not our creator and therefore cannot determine our destiny! Dim Ojukwu and his advisers then suggested it in that ABURI ACCORD – 38 years ago in Ghana and you had the opportunity to do so but for that ‘QUANDARY’ position I talked about Nigerians are including your political leaders, you could not see far into the horizon!
I don’t know how much time and expressive members devoted on issues bordering on SEPARATION of Powers, Consistency and or continuity of governance and in particular the need for that participatory DEMOCRACY through proportional representation vis-à-vis my contention about grand father effects as they impact on the Old Head quarters (H. Qs) of the Regions – the importance of which I talked about and I heard Dr. Y. Gowon harped about also during the procrastination about how to solve Nigeria’s political leadership and follower-ship! Another area of concern is the need to make (couch) sections of the Constitution as clear as possible – in black and white such that the ordinary (majority) Nigerian on the Streets in Nigeria can easily comprehend the meaning of the words and phrases used in the Book! In particular to make political party leaders know that whatever agreement they agree on or contemplate (because of the uncouth psyche of Nigerians) that provided in the Constitution as they relate to their thinking must prevail – they should not make agreements contrary to what the Constitution provides or by so doing we shall be circumventing the contents/ intentions of the Book like OBJ and group miscalculated in their so-called agreement with Dr. G. E. Jonathan! It is my reason for the New Presidential formula so as to remove all ambiguities in the interpretation as to who shall be or shall not be, as and when, we get to the zones in times of general elections on Nigeria!
Then comes the issue of State boundary adjustment – I hold the opinion that State like Anambra needs to be extended up to Oji-River to ecompass Ugwu-Oba for the obvious reason that not only that there is not enough land around the Capital Awka for utilisation the portions left are encumbered by the effect of water-log and erosion problems! Driving from Ezeagu to Oji and beyond to the present boundary you wonder why the expanse of the land between should be left empty and yet it was part of the entire original State and present Anambra State yearning for land for expansion and for development! Behold whatever development in the zone is meant (envisaged) for the entire country if we are thinking rationally! Above all Anambra State people appear to be the most robust and dextrous group in Nigeria, as a matter of fact, so adjusting the boundry so as to improve the development and the movement of the people is acceptable/ worthwhile, folks!
IMPORTANT is to note that all those aspiring to lead and become Presidents for Nigeria must be those properly educated and experienced to be able to understand and comprehend proposed policies first, on their own unaided hence my new formula for the six-geopolitical zones, if you can study it carefully! It is to serve the same purpose like the Option A-4 to solve the problems you have in Nigeria about political leadership! Those who lead you in the 35 years of Military interregnum (including the return of OBJ in 1999 of course) were not trained to perform as politicians hence you were at a standstill during their tenures, arguing and some of you detained to be killed but for God’s intervention in some of the cases!
I will accept an official invitation to come to Nigeria and explain to the administration and the advisers what my ‘New formula’ for political leadership in Nigeria is about, like the Option A-4, it will help you more than what you’re doing currently talking about corruption also in the system! You’ve spent over 12Million Naira on each participants for the Confab and majority had nothing to show as right to the Conference by virtue of solutions-finding or offered for Nigeria including those who came from Europe – i. e. representatives from Europe and America comparable to what I, for example, have done for Nigeria single handed other than that they are Nigerians and nominated through that intimacy megalomania (IM) factor, which is part bane of the country! No other way to put (drive home) this information across to; ‘ALL THAT IT MAY CONCERN’ that those enjoying the accolades from Option A-4 in INEC are not privy to the evolution of the idea in 1992 December when it was sent to IBB first – see if you can find the correspondence marked – ADDENDUM dated 17th August 1990; 10th July 1991 Ref’d. 2263; 4th July 1991 and 1st December 1992 in both IBB’s file cabinet (desk) or the NEC’s Chairman’s! I rest my case, folks.
The Confab has come to an end and has just submitted the recommendations after the disagreements/ misunderstanding about the meaning of the title ‘Draft Constitution! We hear that the next step – the follow up should be as the experience under the Military’s Ad-Hoc Committee passage of h Constituent Assemblies like that of Sani Abacha, which metamorphosed into the 1999 Constitution! We recall that under Abacha he called for a further Committee which advised him on his on Constituent Assembly’s recommendations and it was doctored to a point such that a good number of the good and healthy recommendations offered then were either truncated or dropped without due reflection hence the problems we have in the country from that period! I’ll suggest that as usually I am prone to, since it is very likely to call in Ad-Hoc to advise more/ further on the recommendations, that persons of Prof. H. Nwosu’s status and experience be included in the Team! Also I want to nominate myself as part of the DIASPORAN member in that I missed the Confab participation And I pray you this time. I ant o be considered as one of the Ad-Hoc Committee members or any other to deliberate on the Draft by virtue of my contributions so far for Nigeria’s political and economic growth – see http://www.virgo-enterprised.com
They just announced the training of over 7, 000 Nigerians as operatives for the Energy-power sector; suffic it to say that I did make this suggestion much earlier to help in the advert – Nigerians to supply solutions for the problems we have – if you put up your search engine for this fact in your comment archives, you’ll surely see that this idea was submitted/ highlighted in one of my contributions.
One of the aspect of very important of Nigeria politics devolves on your manifestos and corruption on this aspect I’ll want Prof. H. Nwosu to expound more on this area of Nigeria’s development irrespective of which party is coming next. To do well here, the civil service has to be put to the rightful position to realise that it is in existence in any economy to act as a protector/ defender for the public and not for the political parties – they are to act as protectors to the public and as a check on the whims and caprices of the politicians in particular when they start with their antics!
Manifestos and Institutions they should be told are what this administration is offering or arranging for Nigerian like the Architect/ Engineer who sets out to design a Boulevard/Arcade for he people – ut us yoyr duty to as succeeding architect/ engineer ro keep adding or subtracting by modifications what the Arcade will look like in your own thinking, if you can find the right technocrats to help you – as Dr. G. Jonathan has rightly done in Nigeria, and not allow it to collapse the structures by making is dis-functional. Hence they talk about health, education, energy-power, transport, security etc, etc in Europe and America in their politics and campaigns and not ‘My manifestos’ as you hear it echoed in Nigeria often, imputing that the manifesto is a thing to be regarded as your ‘property’ and not for the people resulting (tending ir engendering) to that corruptive nature of Nigeria’s politics! Manifestos therefore, what the people need to help sustain them health-wise nd other growths legal that they may cintmplate and what your group or person want as leaders!
Corruption, I suggested earlier that tenure of office is part reasons/ causes of corruption in Nigeria therefore I don’t know how detailed or extent the Confab considered the effects of tenure in office in Nigeria it must be part of the crucial issues/ aspects for the Ad-Hoc or the administration to consider and do something about the danger! They talked about the Sec. 308 and probably the Council of State but then the membership is part contributory to the problems we have in Nigeria in that you cannot prosecute any member as you would ordinarily under the Laws of the Land! I want to say here, as usual, that I have a solution – a solution indeed like my Option A-4, you’re using now, to help greatly in Nigeria if we are willing to get at the root of the problem here if you want me to discuss the imports!
Your budgetary procedures: I suggested need for ‘Due process’ for Nigeria but behold when you decided to have it, Vincent, was not called to participate just like the Option A-4 INEC, the Chairman and Commissioners of all basking in the accolade and the perquisites! I am making a publication to show the origin – how it all came to be since nobody on Nigeria authority has the innate character/ mind to ask – is it true that the ‘Option’ is really his intellectual material even when a copy was handed to my State Governor and he used it for his own re-election exercise and again for the New Executive Governor for the State – everybody saw the exercises how peaceful they were? So goes with the degree/ extent of the dereliction in Nigeria – in a QUANDARY afflicting even the PhD holders if they can claim rights belonging to a common man in Nigeria, folks!
Regarding your budgets here civil servants cannot afford to pay rents regularly – as and when the demand is up, not to talk about paying their mortgages, must be of a grave concern for the governments in Nigeria! In the midst of plenty your civil servants are not paid regularly and therefore they cannot in turn pay their rents in time – in ‘whirlwind’ situation, as it were, folks!
The point to note in this particular exercise in this Confab is that we cannot afford to be doing/ going for such meetings without result indefinitely in my native parlance we say; Agbaa n’ke mbu orda na ogwe; agbaa n’ke abor oda na ogwe; agbaa nke ator ada na ogwe – orbu ogwe ka apilu uta? Meaning: In the first attempt aimed to get at a target the arrow struck a tree-trunk; in the 2nd attempt it went to the same trunk; on the 3rd attempt, again missed and it struck at the same trunk – and so arose the curiosity – Is the trunk the original target desired? So this Confab represents the third attempt to get at the basic (root) problems in Nigeria’s political set up therefore should not be allowed to go the same way as the previous did under IBB and Sani Abacha under the Military for obvious reason that we are now in 21st Century and every Nation is poised to see their citizenry developed! For Nigeria there should be no time wasted or dithering and the authorities must now sit up to see what can be best derived from the recommendations for the people of the polity – Nigeria ! Where this is not possible the alternative must b to consider the suggestion for a ‘Confederated Nigeria’ so that each Region/Entity can set out to develop at the pace they consider adequate for their peoples! We cannot afford to now continue to dither (resting on their oars) whilst the resources meant for development of the people are pillaged and or wasted by the few ‘protagonists in Nigeria, who for obvious innate reasons – vendetta and hatred, do not want progress of the people!
There has been too much hew and cry about percentage derivation for resource allocation; I am saying why not the North decide to open up the natural resources in the North and then claim/ ask for 35%! We hear that they are perturbed by the land disruption if the resources have to be exhumed and you wonder what about what is happening in Ogoni and the Delta Axis about ecological problems in the zone and attempt to stop such destruction lead to the execution of their prominent leaders! The more heinous being that the majority of the Oil Blocks are controlled by the Northerners – nobody is saying anything about the canny machination or arrangement under the Military about this obvious fact and on top of which they take subsidies from the governments – policy considered disingenuous and diabolical indeed to Nigerian people!
I must stop here but wish you looked into the points raised here in consonance with my over all contributions and the names that have copies of them some of whom could have posed formidable oppositions to the administration but seeing that an ordinary person/ Nigerian has my kind of thinking and has handed such for the public have decline to lunch attacks against the government! .To understand me more all you need is a look a my web-site and you can see what I mean – al that not looked at and w claim we are leaders – yes, of course Nigerian political leaders and problems abound everywhere – daily occurrence, folks!
I happened to be at the meeting for the ‘Democratic setting for Nigeria 2015 convened by BEN TV Management and I listened to the addresses rendered at the time I arrives at the venue, by the Minister of Education, the High Commissioner and the responses to questions from Mike Omeri – the National Orientation Manager for Nigeria! The Minister referred to the effects of the civil war vis-à-vis the advent of armed robbery in the South-East grew/ developed – he did not stress the fact that after civil war Nigeria needed in fact, was to have a reconstruction programme for the region affected and who were in control of the administration then; how the same analogy could be drawn from what boko-haram is doing in the country today again as a result of the neglect by governments and who were the governments? What lessons did we learn from that neglect vis-à-vis the Niger Delta situation and those responsible for the policies not to act to avert the ‘horrible’ situations in those days are all in that Council of State still muddling with your politics! Then the High Commissioner talked about envy and hatred in Nigeria about politicking, how adverse the effects are; from Mr. Omeri, we learnt about how they would, from end of the year get everybody who wants to participate in Nigerian politics to first go (be screened) through a ‘New National Orientation programme’ devised for Nigeria! All the responses have co-relation with my prognosis in my books – my publications bear all these, which I said already (my intention is) that those close to the governments we have in Nigeria on the grounds of – whilst I may not be in government those who have copies of the (my) publication whilst interacting with their friends in the corridors of power like I noticed in Governor Peter Obi with my Option A-4, will pass-on my thinking unwittingly/ intuitively in the hope to impress and carve themselves a ‘niche’ to such officials!
So it goes without saying it that my contributions in the books have a spill over (multiplier) effects in Nigeria! Somebody who is very familiar with the contents by way of the imports say to me that my publications are regard as repository for Nigeria, where they can poach something tangible to boost their ego in the administration! The ‘New National Orientation’ idea for Nigeria in particular, you can find it all over my publications repeated in other to draw their attention to what the causes of the problems are! Talking about hatred; why should I not be co-opted in Governor Peter Obi’s administration in n Anambra State and granted they were (stll) looking for those to help in finding solutions for Nigeria, if not the Federal if he has indeed copy of my publication, where Option A-4 and formula is contained and he obviously discussed it with the President along the National Executive Council Meetings – EXCO or privately, leading to the acceptance of it for not only 2011 but for all elections in Nigeria until something more than reliable and transparent is discovered for the purpose, folks!
I mean Mr. Fani Kayode, Chuef Asewaju Tinubu , Lai Mohammed and Dr. Junaid Muhammed have all criticised and abused the administration without reservations yet they have each been to ‘Aso Rock’ to discuss issues with the Head of State so, what are we on about in Nigeria? Those struggling to help and doing so genuinely are not seen but those who abuse the authorities and people are given audience – is it fair, folks?
Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people!
Prov. 14. 34; Pa 132. 9