Insanity, according to Albert Einstein is doing the same thing over and
over again and expecting different result. Over the years, leaders and
policy makers in this green land have failed to change the way they go
about transformation of our dear country. It goes without saying that the
ongoing national conference is a progression with wasteful tendencies. This
has given me the opportunity to tag it ‘A Wasteful Progression.’

The hypocrisy of the elites remain the prima problem of development and
growth of the Nigerian state. Knowing fully well that the national
conference is not sovereign; cannot take decisions and have ‘no-go’ areas.
President Goodluck Jonathan said ‘sovereignty belongs to the people. Their
voices must be heard and factored into every decision we take on their
behalf’. The president’s comment brings to fore, sincerity of the national
conference since the selection of delegates was not by the people of the
grassroots that need their voices to be heard but the political elites,
cabal affiliates and godfathers.

The 500 delegates chaired by Justice Idris Kutigi, GCON, were told to stay
off discussing the possible dissolution of the Nigerian entity. This alone
shows that the progenitor of the conference does not care if we want to
live together as a country in one accord or as neighbouring nations. The
amalgamation of Nigeria was done without the vote of the grassroots’
power blocs but a forced decision of the colonial masters and 100 years
later, when we have an opportunity to submit if our coexistence has done
more good than harm or otherwise, we have been robbed of the chance again
in broad day light.

A sovereign conference which is characterized by the power to take
effective decision without the endorsement of the executive arm of
government usually is not a direct solution to any country’s woes but a
step in the right direction let alone a conference without sovereignty.

The national conference which was declared open on the 17th of March 2014
and would gulp Six billion naira for delegates’ allowances of tax payers’
money is a necessary step towards redressing the myriad of problems faced
by our dear nation. Though, wealth division and power distribution are
chief amongst topics to be discussed, the basic problem of the nation would
be left untouched. Other than a few women and men of honour, the mode of
selection and selected delegates are questionable. Former governors that
are debating and contributing to the remodeling of our country are either
on trial or enjoying presidential pardon. How then do we expect people of
questionable characters to forge a way forward for the country?

It is however pertinent to note that the decision of the national
conference is not binding on the nation and could be discarded by the
president. This is supported by the words of Prof. A Yadudu (former special
adviser to Sani Abacha on legal matters) when he said: ‘the conference does
not have the mandate to restructure Nigeria, and it is at best a dignified
presidential advisory committee to President Jonathan.’

If after spending over 6 billion naira of our wealth on a committee whose
report could get dumped, then the proverbial one step forward and two steps
backward is the lot of our great nation. Our leaders are insane and the
followers are getting the fever because the February to July 2005
conference of President Obasanjo failed to debate electoral reforms,
judicial and legal reforms that are today the premium clogs in our wheel of
progress.

Late Gani Fawehinmi, may the almighty rest his soul, posited that the
concern of a national conference is to remove all obstacles which have
prevented the country from establishing political justice, economic
justice, social justice, cultural justice, religious justice and to
construct a new constitutional framework in terms of system of government
structurally, politically, economically, socially, culturally and
religiously. I am afraid, like I was in 2005, that if this ‘dignified
presidential advisory committee’ fails to achieve the aims highlighted by
Fawehinmi, our wasteful progression would be a monumental failure.

Abayomi Tajudeen tweets @AATsarumi

The views expressed above are solely that of the author and not of Omojuwa.com or its associates.