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New Page 26
Possible agenda
THOMAS IMONIKHE,
Deputy Political Editor
UNLIKE
the current discordant tunes trailing the desirability or otherwise of the
Governor Ahmed Makarfi-led committee set up to midwife a national dialogue,
proponents of such gathering seem unanimous on its likely agenda.
Advocates of National Dialogue, National
Conference or Sovereign National Conference (SNC) including elder statesmen,
legal luminaries, prominent pro-democracy and human rights groups like The
Patriots and Citizens Forum have identified true federalism, reformation of
our electoral system, state police, resource control, rotational presidency,
tenure of public officers and lately immunity enjoyed by some categories of
elected politicians as some of the issues germane to the continued sustenance of
democracy in the country.
Cries of marginalisation by sections of
the country, generally acceptable revenue allocation formula, settler indigene
question as well as a revisit of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential
election presumably won by the late Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola
are also on the list of contending issues that should be addressed by delegates
to the proposed parley, analysts have suggested.
But the aforementioned issues which are
generally regarded as the kernel of the national question predated the 1999
Constitution, a document that has been severally criticised by informed
Nigerians.
Perhaps the most vociferous and
unrepentant advocate of the convocation of an SNC where such matters would be
thrashed out, prior to 1999, was the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) then
headed by Pa Abaraham Adesanya. Assisted by elder statesman Chief Anthony
Enahoro, Senator Adesanya, who is also the leader of pan-Yoruba socio-political
organisation had in conjunction with other members of NADECO fought the military
regime of late Gen. Sani Abacha with all weapons at their disposal for the
convocation of a conference.
Although their clamour was not heeded,
most of the issues canvassed by NADECO as lasting panacea to Nigeria’s
socio-economic and political quagmire, have remained relevant five years after
the military regime of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, who succeeded Gen. Abacha and
handed over power to civilians.
Indeed Pa Enahoro who moved the
parliamentary motion for the granting of independence to the country by its
former colonial master, Britain insisted recently that two conditions must be
met before Nigeria can move forward.
Said he: "Perhaps the most important point
which requires to be made and may I remind you that, by the grace of God, I am
speaking with the advantage of over 60 years in public affairs - is that today
there are two requirements for the salvation of the Nigerian dream and the
advancement of our people.
"The two requirements are a National
Conference and the empowerment of an All Progressive Front. I say confidently
that there is no other way to a peaceful solution of Nigeria’s problems.
In spite of our electoral system, which
has so far only succeeded in undermining the peoples faith in elections, I
believe that if a Unified Progresssive Front can be created, if we can come
together and work together, we can still build the kind of country that our
founding fathers dreamt of , the kind of society that our country men and women
desire and deserve, and the standard of living Nigeria’s resources can provide
for its people," Pa Enahoro told the Alliance for Democracy (AD) delegates who
converged at the Onikan stadium, Lagos for the party’s unity convention on
September 29 this year.
Besides NADECO, civil society coalition,
and The Patriots which is made up of eminent Nigerians including legal
giants, Chief FRA Williams and Prof. Ben Nwabueze both Senior Advocates of
Nigeria (SANs), governors from the southern part of the country have made
significant contribution to setting an agenda for the proposed dialogue.
The 17 affected states chief executives
under the aegis of Southern Governors Forum since their inaugural session in
Lagos, a few years ago have continuously advocated the enthronement of true
federalism in the country through constitutional amendment.
Specifically, they called for the creation
of state police which should be accountable to a sitting governor and operating
side-by-side with the present Nigeria Police Force. Their contention is that the
constitutional provision making each governor the chief security office of his
state must be given total effect through the setting up of a parallel police
force which officers and men should be completely loyal to him.
This is against the present arrangement
whereby commissioners of police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT), Abuja are responsible to the Inspector-General of Police Mr.
Tafa Balogun, who takes directives from President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The sudden withdrawal of security details
attached to Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State last January, hours after
Justice Stanley Nnaji of the Enugu High Court (now retired) ruled to that
effect, has been cited as a good example of the partiality of the nation’s
federal police force.
Dr. Ngige’s security was recently restored
after the Court of Appeal nullified the judgement of the lower court. Analysts
are convinced that last month mayhem unleashed by arsonists on public property
in Anambra state would have been contained if there was a state police force.
This was vividly captured by Edo State
governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, who hosted the recent Southern Governors
Forum. He said: "One major factor responsible for the widespread security lapses
is the inability of elected governors to take full control over the security
operations in their respective states. In a situation where all the security
operatives are under the total control of the Federal Government, the elected
governors as chief security officers can only function as toothless bulldogs.
The experience of our colleague in Anambra State has further justified the long
drawn agitation for a state police," he noted in his speech.
The proposed dialogue would also afford
delegates a rare opportunity of addressing the vexed issues of resource control
and equitable revenue sharing formula.
The oil producing states in the Niger
Delta have never hidden their disgust over the present 13 per cent derivation
fund paid to them and had made a strong case for substantial increment. An
upward review is expected to help the cause of lasting peace in the crisis-prone
Niger Delta which account for over 90 per cent of the nation’s wealth.
Possible overhaul of the nation’s
electoral system may likely top the agenda of the proposed dialogue. It is no
longer news that last year’s general elections were anything but transparent.
The outcome of the polls is being challenged at various selection tribunals
across the country some 18 months after the exercise.
Reported widespread cases of election
malpractices coupled with alleged bias by officials of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) had prompted calls for a reformation of the
commission. States Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) were also not
spared of condemnation by critics for their poor handling of local government
elections in March this year.
Such proposed electoral reforms, political
observers have argued would go a long way to restore the faith of the electorate
in future elections and ensure the triumph of the popular will largely
undermined during the 2003 polls.
What this means is that only true
representatives of the people would emerge during future elections as against
the "selection" of candidates last year.
The universal significance of voting right
has been underscored by many jurists including Justice Hugo Black of the United
States of America (USA) who said that: "No right is more precious in a free
country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws
under which as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic
are illusory, if the right to vote is undermined."
Also, analysts say that the need for power
to be equitably rotated among the six geo-political zones in the country would
likely gain prominence at the dialogue. This is inevitable going by the current
clamour by the North, the South East and South South zones for the presidency of
the country in 2007.
A constitutional backing for one term, one
zone for the presidency is expected to engender national unity and mutual
cooperation among ethnic nationalities in the country.
A revisit of the June 12, 1993
presidential election cancelled by former military president Gen. Ibrahim
Badamasi Babangida is also considered to be weighty enough for delegates to
deliberate upon.
According to Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of
Abia State, "there is no way the nation can make remarkable progress in its
efforts to entrench durable democracy if the ghost of June 12, 19993 is not laid
to rest.
"This is necessary because many innocent
souls were lost to the violent protests that trailed the annulment. And these
souls can only rest in peace when the dividends of the annulment will have been
fully reaped."
Kalu further contends that Babangida owes
the country a duty to tell Nigerians why he annulled the election and the forces
behind it.
The current constitutional ambiguities
over local government creation and management, the continued retention of
Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution which confers immunity on the President,
his Vice, Governors and their Deputies are similarly expected to top the agenda
of the proposed dialogue if convened by President Obasanjo.
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