NATIONAL CONFERENCE : THE USUAL ROAD TO OBLIVION

NATIONAL CONFERENCE : THE USUAL ROAD TO OBLIVION 

By Kay Aderibigbe

Retired justice kutigi, chairman of the on-going constitutional conference made a public announcement a week ago that there had been created twenty one standing committees within the 492-member 'sleeping conference' to oversee and discuss special or technical topics.

Like i suggested earlier on, sleeping time, recesses and waste of time on matters that do not have direct implication on the convocation of the conference had grotesquely shifted certain values out of place. As a result, delegates have been rewarded with six (6) more weeks to sleep, make more money, jump into parties, discuss and dilly-dally on what is crystal clear to an average man on the street that leadership and negative humanities is the bane of the Nigerian state.

Political juggernauts that formed a chunk of the on-going conference took part in 1995 Abacha's conference and 2005 Obasanjo's confab. Alas, they produced a replica of institutional political fashions as found in 1979 second republic constitution and that of political bureau of 1987. At the end of the day, they wasted time, energy, money and most painful of all, they dashed the hope of our people like they always do.

Jonathan, like other inward-looking head of states/presidents that had ruled Nigeria was quick at reading in-between the lines by employing the services of those that could put lies and false hopes together amidst unstable and uncertain political atmosphere all to retain power and popularity. This is because all the antics and sudden change of mind by Jonathan to jump-start an unplanned conference is to blindfold Nigerians into sympathy votes for his government in 2015.

A veritable pointer to the unwillingness and missionlessness of the conference was, for example, the disagreement among the committee members on Power Devolution whether or not to include 'mines, mineral resources, revenue and geological survey ' in the concurrent legislative list or exclusive legislative list. If those in such committee are interested in the well-being of the country it is expected of them to make constituent states enjoy at least a considerable degree of control over some selected natural endowments so as to trigger inter-state socio-economic competition. It is only in such situation that state-centred, as against nation-centred federalism can grow viz the remittance of accruable taxes to the federal government. This will reduce the yoke of economic burden carried by federal government; take care of unemployment; and reduce to the barest minimum, ethnic chauvinism as a result of economic comparative advantage.

Instead of resorting to the aforementioned obvious socio-political salvation that could rescue us from perennial failure, political brokers relish in making money and lounge about at the expense of clueless leadership and helpless citizens. Since the conference, based on its composition, convocation and abstract intent, has toed the foot path of previous failed talk-shows in the country, it is then not out of place to suggest that the present national conference with the enormous finance committed to it is likely to fail woefully.

To be continued ........