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Obasanjo sets up political reform panel
Obasanjo sets up political
reform panel
Lere Ojedokun, Abuja
A semblance
of the muchadvocate convocation of a national conference emerged yesterday with
President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurating a committee that would design the
framework for collation of in put on evolving "a sound political reform
agenda" for the country.
The committee is chaired by Gov.
Ahmed Makarfi of Kaduna State, while members include his Ondo State counterpart,
Dr. Olusegun Agagu, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, Political Adviser to the President,
Prof. Jerry Gana and Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Adebayo.
The rest are Prof. Aliu Yahaya
Political Adviser to the Vice President, Prof. Okwudiba Nnoli and
Director-General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Prof. (Mrs.) Joy
Ogwu.
The committee, according to
President Obasanjo, was expected to produce "a background paper that will
form the basis for dialogue by a broadly composed national body soon to be
constituted to produce a sound political reform agenda for Nigeria".
He added that the bigger national
committee would "reflect the various social forces and interests, community
interests and political tendencies within the nation".
The committee was handed down a
13-point term of reference and December 31 deadline to submit its report.
Specifically, it was requested to
produce a document that would contain issues such as the transformation of
political parties from were vehicles for contesting elections into viable
instruments capable of deepening the content of our democratic values and
nation-building process.
Another is how to ensure internal
party democracy towards producing high quality candidates for elective offices
and party leadership, ways to enforce party discipline, process of
constitutional reforms and refine the electoral system with substantial
reduction in cost of elections.
The committee was also to fashion
ways to strengthen neutrality and independence of electoral commission, effect
judicial reforms towards quick dispensation of justice, dealing with corruption
and re-orientate concept of politic as from patronage and materialism to that of
service.
"It is hoped that the
produced background paper will form one of the essential documents that will be
placed in the hands of the proposed National Committee on political reforms to
reduce the possibility of a wild goose chase", President Obasanjo charged.
He affirmed
"conviction" that "the time has come for us to take a critical
look at our political framework and practices so as to consolidate democracy,
facilitate good governance, promote development with social justice, and ensure
peace and stability under the rule of law".
He further stated that with our
experience on the running of the 1999 constitution and practice of democracy
since May 29, 1999, it was necessary to do a retrospection of what we have done
and what needed to be done.
Responding, Gov. Makarfi assured
the citizenry that President Obasanjo has good intention for setting up the
committee and that it would not be manipulated to extend the president’s
tenure beyond 2007.
He re-affirmed members’
commitment and faith in the continued corporate existence of the country while
promising that the assignment would be completed on time.
Later at a press briefing, he
said the committee was expected to set the criteria for selecting participants
and delegates to the larger national committee.
He disabused the minds of
Nigerians on possible extension of Obasanjo’s tenure which he maintained could
only be done through constitutional amendment and subsequent approval by the
National Assembly.
Pressed to clarify if the committee’s work was
a prelude to a national conference, Alhaji Makarfi responded proverbially:
"What a woman gives birth, it does not matter what name she calls the
child, but the president called it a national dialogue".
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