National Conference: NBA rejects “One Slot” allocation as skepticism Trails modalties.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday rejected the single slot allocated to it on the ground that there was no way the body could make any impact with one 
representative at the conference.
In a Protest letter obtained by NigerianEcho, addressed to the Secretary to Federal Government, Anyim Pius Anyim the association’s President, Okey Wali, SAN, said that asking NBA to nominate a single delegate was disappointing.
“We write to place on record our dissatisfaction with the list of conference delegates, particularly, when put against representations from some other organizations and bodies.”
“The Nigerian Bar Association received with utmost disappointment the statement credited to you on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria, requesting the Nigerian Bar Association to nominate one delegate to the upcoming National Conference.”
He further said that other associations with fewer membership compared with the NBA were allowed to nominate more than one delegates to the confab.
He noted that in view of the fact that so many legal issues would be addressed at the National Conference, “it is only fitting and proper for the umbrella association of all lawyers in Nigeria, the Nigerian Bar Association, to have more than one delegate at the National conference.”
Meanwhile, mixed reactions are trailing the modalities announced by the Federal Government for the proposed national conference, with major stakeholders faulting a number of issues including timing, duration and composition of delegates.
The federal government said on Thursday that it has approved 492 delegates to represent all shades of opinion and interest groups nationwide in the proposed national conference.
According to FGN, President Goodluck Jonathan will nominate 46 while the 36 state governors will nominate 108 delegates, also five political parties with representation in the National Assembly – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP) and Accord Party (AP) would send 10 delegates with two nominees each.
Thirteen professional bodies, including Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), will also nominate one delegate each. Apart from the delegates composition, other modalities released include a three month timeframe for the conference, indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a no-go area, and arrival at decisions by consensus, or by 75 per cent majority where consensus is not achievable.
According to the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) “It is very unfair, that only five out of the 25 registered political parties were allocated 10 delegates; while the president is to nominate over 25 per cent of the total delegates”.
The National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okechukwu, wondered why 20 political parties that represent various tendencies in the country were denied the opportunity to contribute their quota in a national conference.
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF), as represented by Prof. Ango Abdullahi, described the composition of delegates as unacceptable, declaring that the conference was for President Goodluck Jonathan and his government, and not for Nigerians.
Prof. Ango, a former Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in the era of “Ali must go”, maintained that this was not the kind of conference Nigerians expect.
“These recommendations that led to the announcement yesterday must have been tailored by the President to pursue certain predetermined objectives of his government.
“The recommendations that was in the first draft was that delegates should be elected by Nigerians from their various constituencies as agreed so that people that will participate will be people representing their various constituencies based on election. This was what was recommended but was rejected”, he said.
He regretted that it was unfortunate that government adopted modalities that would make it achieve its agenda by selecting most of the delegates.
In his reaction, Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, said, “Again, the composition brought many questions than answers. Though it recognises civil societies, labour, traditional institutions, but the devil in the details is who chooses those people. I read in the paper that the president nominates 48 delegates and that the governors nominates 108. But from my analysis, the president would not nominate less than 200 delegates.
“And there are two other issues; people have said that any National Conference that does not give room for a referendum cannot produce anything close to a people constitution. It would just be a reflection of the idea of those selected. This would only enhance the position of the National Assembly.”
But the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union(SOKAPU), a socio cultural umbrella for ethnic Nationalities in the southern part of Kaduna State, commended President Jonathan for providing a platform for Nigerians to sit down and discuss the future of the country.
Concerned Igbo Leaders of Thought led by Prof Ben Nwabueze, on its part, expressed reservations about the modalities noting that the frame-work was completely at variance with the kind of conference Nigerians desired.
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, led by Chief Gary Igariwey, commended the modalities, explaining that outside the need to subject the outcome of the conference to a referendum, the modalities were in tandem with the group’s presentation to the Senator Femi Okoroumu’s Presidential Advisory Committee.
“In the document we submitted, we talked about equal representation of the zones and that is what the modalities said. Also, we recommended that it should be concluded early enough so that it doesn’t conflict with the next election. In fact we commend the template they have released. We also hope that later on, the outcome of the conference will be subjected to a referendum for it to be incorporated into the constitution,” he said.
National Leader of the Pan Yoruba Socio-Cultural Group, Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, said the president should not just sit in Abuja and nominate for people wherever they are.
The Afenifere leader said if there was going to be any nomination, it has to be in consultation with stakeholders who know who to nominate. He said what was on ground now was arbitrary but what was advocated was a conference of ethnic nationalities.
Fasoranti however agreed that the unity of the country must not be accommodated. “The unity of the country is sacrosanct. What will threaten the unity of the country must not be accommodated. We must continue to exist as a nation”, he said.
Fasoranti also said that the outcome of the conference must be subjected to a referendum of all Nigerians.
Commenting on the modalities, Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that the outcome of the conference would not be subjected to a referendum, arguing that efforts would be made to persuade the President to rethink his position on the issue.
“We are not satisfied that we are going to give the outcome to the National Assembly. We believe we can convince the government that we should go for referendum. How can we sit down and discuss a problem and you now tell us to give the solutions to the cause of the problem? Just as we convinced him (President Jonathan) to hold the conference, we will continue to persuade him to convince him on why what he is doing is not the best”, he said.
On his part, a senior advocate of Nigeria, Prof Itsey Sagay, faulted the modalities released by government for the convacation of the conference. He said, “From the way I see it, there would still be another conference for us to properly discuss the way forward for the country.”
Sagay said, “It is not okay. I feel terribly let down. I had high hopes when it was announced that we are going to have a National Conference but you can see progressively that because of the manner the Okurounmmu committee limited the scope of the conference and the possibility of saving the country from crisis, the whole thing looks as if its going to fail. This is because anybody that wants success of the conference would not subject it to the National Assembly, which represents status quo.
“They should have said a new constitution will emanate from the conference. They should have made it to have fewer scope, rather than issues like nomadic education and all that that were included which would distract the people. There are too many civil societies and they will go there and talk about human rights rather than issues that will make the states powerful and make them control their resources.”
Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Malam Yusuf Ali, faulted the timing of the conference noting that the time the nation was preparing for general election was not appropriate for a national conference.
Ali said: “I have not seen the guideline. But I have always maintained that this is not the appropriate time for such a dialogue. But if they want to go ahead, let them continue. We can’t stop them.”
