Femi Okurounmu is a man who understands the issues. Remember, it is on record that he is the only senator in the history of Nigeria who sponsored a bill for Nigeria to have a national conference. He was part of NADECO (National Democratic Coalition); he has been inAfenifere; he is a progress-minded Nigerian who loves this country. He wants a Nigeria that works. He understands the issues and will steer the committee in a way that the President will be well-guided to know that we are not asking for a jamboree this time around, not a talk-shop, not a symposium, but a real national conference. And very well, the President has said to this committee: go and give me the details, the nomenclature, the modalities and the rest. So, it shows the President has not made up his mind on anything. He has not given them any no-go area, and so we are now looking forward to the Okurounmu committee to consult the stakeholders and recommend a genuine national conference to the President that will have sovereign powers. By sovereign powers, we are not saying that all the elected representatives should go away. We are in the process of rebuilding this country. There cannot be a vacuum. We will still tolerate them. Members of the National Assembly can continue with their fashion parade, because you see some of them with their caps and their names on it; some will have 10 rings on 10 fingers. And then they go to the Senate to yarn with Mr. Senate President. Let them continue with that. Even let them continue to share their Ghana-must-go. The executive and the legislature are like the management of a company; they run the day-to-day affairs of the company. But when the board comes around and says look gentlemen, we want to restructure this company – change the memos and articles of this company, or make new policies – the management cannot stand in their way. So, the sovereignty we are asking for is that the decision we will reach at that conference will not go to the National Assembly or executive, for any modification or ratification. The only people that can modify it are the people of Nigeria who are represented at that conference, and that will be via a referendum. I read Niger State governor (Babangida Aliyu) say that those asking for Sovereign National Conference know that they will send all of them away. But we are not sending them away; we have lived with their waywardness, idiosyncrasies for the past 53 years, and we are ready to tolerate more of it for one and half years while we write a genuine constitution. So, let them stay there! You see the arrogance! I read Kwakwanso saying that he will not send anybody there. Who told him he will send people to the National Conference? The people are going to elect their delegates! They thought it was the kangaroo meeting former President Olusegun Obasanjo organised in the past where he handpicked people. That is not what we are talking about. But you can see the arrogance and the impunity “I will not send people there” as if the state is his personal property, a fiefdom. -Yinka Odumakin.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 06:28:27 +0000
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