Though some Nigerians have expressed scepticism that a National Conference at this time would be tantamount to a waste of time and financial resources, others have described it as a “Greek gift”, a ploy by the PDP-led government to pull diverse people together and enrich their pockets in order to ensure support in 2015 general elections.
Now that the conference has finally started, they should be mindful of the fact that beyond the scepticism about the viability of the conference, most Nigerians who believes in this confab and indeed the common people look forward to them to arrive at recommendations that would turn their lives around for good.
Nigerians expect recommendations and reports that would address issues of indigeneship, we have a situation on our hands whereby an indigene of Kogi State for example, who was born and bred in Kwara State still cannot claim to be from Kwara despite spending about 40 years in that state. We have also heard of cases where women from a particular state get married to men from a different state yet they are not allowed the privileges of an indigene in their husband’s state of origin. All these should be looked into and addressed if this country is to move forward.
Delegates need to look at issues like rotational presidency among the six geopolitical zones that make up this country and not the North-South arrangement that some politicians prefer. Even in the states, a situation whereby all the governors that had ruled a state since 1999 came from a particular senatorial district does not augur well and it is unacceptable; local government autonomy should not even be a matter for debate in this 21st Century. Financial and economic autonomy should be returned to the local governments.
Creation of an anti-corruption tribunal should be on the cards of the delegates; declaring a state of emergency on unemployment; NYSC reforms should be extensively looked into; agricultural revolution and an amicable resolution to issues of Fulani herdsmen/farmers clashes should be on the card.
The recommendation and outcome of this august conference should not fail to ensure that the rights of women and children are protected. Common Nigerians look up to you, delegates, to make things right again.
Hussain Obaro,
Ilorin, Kwara state
