On Thursday, August 21, 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan received the 21 Volumes of the Report of the 2014 National Conference from Justice Idris Kutigi, former Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the Conference. That the National Conference even held is a tribute to the spirit of quiet determination that Jonathan embodies. That the conferees deliberated on and submitted over 600 resolutions to the convener is a tribute to Justice Kutigi, his fellow Conference officials, and all the delegates.
Now that the National Conference has come to pass, we must not forget that there were those who predicted that it was doomed and would yield no positive result. These same people lambasted the President for convening the Conference. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) described the Conference as a “diversion” and accused Jonathan of having a “hidden agenda”. The party predicted that the Conference would fail and refused to take part in the Conference. It is interesting that as Nigerians are congratulating Justice Kutigi and the Conference delegates for a job well-done, the APC is silent.
It must be said that the successful conclusion of the Conference does not mean there were no difficulties during deliberations. In his remarks before handing over the Conference Report, Justice Kutigi told President Jonathan that, “In the post-independence history of Nigeria, there have been four Conferences, including this 2014 National Conference. However, Mr. President, our own task has been the most arduous.”
According to Justice Kutigi, “The 1978 Constituent Assembly had a membership of 230 people and met for 9 months. The 1995 National Constitutional Conference had a membership of 371 people and met for twelve (12) months. The 2005 National Political Reform Conference was made up of 400 delegates and met for 5 months. We are 494 in membership and you made us do all this work in 4½ months.”
Be that as it may, a major breakthrough of the 2014 National Conference has been reigniting a sense of shared destiny for the entire country. President Jonathan remarked on this during his speech on the occasion where he received the Conference Report. He said, “To my mind, one of the main reasons for which the Conference was convoked was fully achieved: that is, to create a platform for a genuine and sincere dialogue among Nigerians. Even in moments when things seemed ready to boil over, it was evident that the delegates were only disagreeing to agree.”
The President also went on to say, “It is now very clear that as Nigerians, we have devised a way of addressing and resolving our differences amicably: we dialogue and dialogue until we agree! This is most heart-warming, indeed!”
In the light of the security and other challenges facing the country, the importance of this proof that dialogue remains the only viable option to thrash out contentious issues cannot be overstated. Resorting to violence cannot be a solution when Nigerians from all parts of the country can sit together and resolve whatever may be at stake through dialogue.
Illustrating this point, Justice Kutigi said: “Mr. President, we approved over 600 resolutions; some dealing with issues of law, issues of policy and issues of constitution amendments. These resolutions did not deal with frivolous or inconsequential issues. We showed courage in tackling substantial and fundamental issues.”
To further put the naysayers to shame, Justice Kutigi stressed that all the resolutions were adopted by consensus. In his words: “Mr. President, time will not permit me to list all the critical and fundamental resolutions adopted. But let me emphasize this: all our resolutions were adopted by consensus. Not once did we have to vote or come to a division. This is a message that we wish the world to hear loud and clear. Nigerians are capable of not only discussing their differences but are also capable to coming up with solutions to these difficulties.”
Already, the social media has been buzzing with some of the resolutions of the National Conference. Perhaps the most popular resolution being discussed by Nigerians on Twitter and Facebook is the recommendation that all elected members of the legislative arms of all the tiers of government should serve on part-time basis. This resolution has found favour with Nigerians with many coming out strongly in support.
Indeed, considering the appreciable goodwill President Jonathan has now garnered through the commendable work done by the 2014 National Conference, it appears that his quiet determination in convening the Conference was a masterstroke. However, it goes without saying that in order for him to continue enjoying that goodwill, he must show even more determination to implement the resolutions adopted by the conferees.
Without doubt, Jonathan himself appreciates this. “We shall send the relevant aspects of your recommendations to the Council of State and the National Assembly for incorporation into the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said. He added: “On our part, we shall act on those aspects required of us in the Executive.” The time to make good on this propitious declaration, for the benefit of the Nigerian nation, is now.
Written by Matthew Adejoh.
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