From KABIRU YUSUF, Abuja
THE Makarfi Committee on Political Reforms set up by
President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday submitted its report proffering seven
key areas for any national dialogue to achieve desired goals.
These areas include, constitutional reforms; political
party reforms; electoral reforms; judicial/legal reforms; civil society
reforms, as reforming the structures of government; consultation and
consensus building.
Governor Ahmad Muhammad Makarfi who submitted the
committee�s report to President Olusegun Obasanjo further observed that for
any reform agenda to succeed, it must seek to decentralize power within
civil society such that political activities are not monopolized by few
individuals or cliques, and at the same time, the owners of political
parties must be corporate not private.
Similarly, he said, the agenda must seek to decentralize
state power along functional lines so as to ensure a balance of power among
the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, as well as
re-structure power along spatial lines at the national zonal and local
levels.
The governor pointed out that the political system must
be liberalized in order to minimize the enormous weight of state power,
while increasing the opportunities for individuals and groups to participate
in public decision making process.
Other issues needed to be done, he added, are to ensure
restoration of social peace, community harmony and national integration
within the context of a federal system of government in addition to refining
the electoral system to be able to have free, fair and credible elections.
Alhaji Makarfi, however, pointed out that his committee
had considered, during its sitting, the president�s address indicating that
time has come to take a critical look at the political frame work 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.
Receiving the report, President Obasanjo said that the
present Nigeria and Nigerians need political reforms as the nation has six
years of experience in the present democratic dispensation.
According to him, with six years of experience, a lot of
lessons have been learnt, adding that already the nation has embarked on the
socio-economic reforms which need to be complemented by political reforms.
President Obasanjo, it could be recalled, inaugurated the committee early
this month demanding it to submit its report within two weeks.
