I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE (SOVEREIGN) NATIONAL CONFERENCE

October 1 2013, President Jonathan in the annual Independence Day speech announced the formation of the National Dialogue Planning Committee to establish the modalities for a National Dialogue or Conference.

This has been a long standing request of many Nigerians, and numerous important personalities had made similar calls in the past. I am rather surprised that a number of prominent Nigerians have criticized this move for a number of reasons. In any case, that is not my interest in this write-up.

I believe we have been sold a dummy that a National Conference, Dialogue or whatever name we choose to call it, is the magic bullet that will solve our problems. I strongly disagree.

The litmus test for me is the Petroleum Industry Bill. If I am correct, we have been unsuccessfully trying to sign this bill into law in the last four years. And here we are taking on a more complex issue!

While Americans and Britons are signing critical agreements within a month to three months, the Japanese and Chinese are signing the same agreement in weeks and days respectively. In Nigeria, the same agreement could take up to three years or more; or forgotten at the National Assembly! As a result, we have lost businesses due to our ineptitude and inability to take decision briskly, on the altar of personal benefits rather than collective gain.

Most recent, global oil giants, Chevron and ConocoPhillips pulled out of the Olokola (OK) and Brass LNG Projects respectively. Why? Our lack of will in taking a serious project serious, coupled with failure to meet expected obligations.

By the way, my different view on the National Conference is not based on the complexity of our issues. It’s the fact that a dialogue or conference really doesn’t prevent a corrupt leader from stealing, and failing to develop critical infrastructure. My view that a

Conference is not the solution to our problems is strengthened daily considering the fact that we simply get away with murder; irrespective of the position of the constitution on any issue. Before now, it used to be the economic and political elites that rape the country. Today, even criminals who are bold enough are taking a sumptuous meal from the national cake.

If we are unable to agree on a simple bill that would determine how we administer our oil industry, I wonder what we intend to do differently with the National Dialogue?
For the records, my view is that there can never be a perfect bill or a perfect agreement on how we will co-exist as a nation. With reference to our constitution, constitutions anywhere in the world only act as a “guide”, and in legal lexicon, there will always be a lacuna. The golden question then would be how to deal with constitutional or “consensus” gaps when they come up, even when if we finally reach an agreement through a National Conference. Classic case in point, we adopted a fire brigade approach to the constitution with Yaradua’s sickness and eventual death. Unfortunately, this has not solved the problem in Taraba State!

Let’s assume that we are able to reach an agreement on how to co-exist. Will this stop Nigerian’s with a mindset that the national treasury must be shared? We never knew that unused funds were shared at the end of every financial year, until late President Yaradua gave a directive that unused allocation must be returned to the treasury before the new accounting year.

Will a Sovereign National Conference solve the problem of contract inflation or outright sharing of developmental funds?

Will a Sovereign National Conference prevent incessant killings of Christians and Muslims alike in the North? Or solve kidnap and high level robbery in the Eastern part of the country? Will it solve credit card fraud and internet scam in the West?

Will a Sovereign National Conference solve the problem of moribund and poorly run government agencies or revive critical sectors of the economy? I just do not get it.

A National Conference will definitely do something. It will force us to agree on resource allocation to Oil Producing States. Amongst many other benefits, it will compel us to agree on sensitive national issues such as rotational presidency, true federalism and bi-camera legislative system of government.

But do we honestly think a National Conference is what we need to address these issues?
Will the National Conference prevent the likes of James Ibori from stealing his state blind with assets scattered across different countries around the globe? Will it enforce prosecution of corrupt officials, or ship the dirty jobs to London Courts?

Will a Conference prevent us from seeing politics as a means to buy today for ourselves, and tomorrow for our children’s children, rather than developing our country to effectively compete with the most advanced countries in the twenty first century?

The other argument is that if we are unable to agree on how we can co-exist as a nation, then we should go our separate ways. But I have lived long enough in Nigeria and I have come to one conclusion; and that is the fact that the average Nigerian simply wants things to work!

We rejoiced and shared drinks together when Nigeria won the football completion at the Olympics with Kanu Nwakwo and his brilliant team. We had fun together when Stephen Keshi rekindled our hope of winning the nations cup again, as one nation. Whether its Chinua Achebe or Wole Shoyinka, we celebrate our icons without reference to tribe or religion. We are not bothered whether Dbanj is an Ijebu boy, or MI is from Jos. We care less whether Don Jazzy is Igbo, 2Face is from Benue, or Ali Nuhu is a Hausa film actor. Our entertainment industry has conquered places as far flung as the Caribbean’s and so long as the music or movie is cool, we are one Nigeria!

Collectively, we are beginning to conquer Africa. Our banks now dominate Africa and some of our home grown companies like Dangote, and Guarantee Trust are beginning to extend their brands before the shores of Nigeria. When we are happy, our tribe or religion does not count. But few politicians among us create division using religion and tribes for political gains. They have consistently succeeded chiefly because we allow it.

When we rejoice, no one is interested whether the President is from Calabari, Borgu or Ondo. But when those that divide us unleash tension and terror on the country, we scream disintegration as if that is the solution. It’s a pity we now erroneous believe that a Conference will solve our problems, or we disintegrate as a nation.

Since I was young, and now I am still young, I have only heard the cry of Sovereign National Conference or disintegration during difficult times. Let things begin to work in this country and we will hear less of this cry. Let us start treating our fellow men with dignity and respect, and we’ll see a change. Let politicians and the looting elites have a change of heart and influence the society positively, and Nigeria will become the country of our dreams. We do not need a Conference or Dialogue to make this happen!

As a Nation, what we need is a lot more than a Conference. We need a National Re-Orientation. A National Re-Orientation that tells the seventy year old man who has been in government since his twenties, and probably doesn’t know how to use an ipad today, that it is time to go into retirement and genuinely be a statesman.

A National Re-Orientation that tells the young man, that in our world today wherein six year olds are developing multimillion dollar apps; that politics is about service and not about lacing our pockets with millions like Nigerian Legislators.

A National Re-Orientation that propels every Nigerian to value human life, and makes us realize that one avoidable death anywhere in the country, either through terrorism or lack of good medicare, is unacceptable and must be condemned by all irrespective of tribe or religion.

A National Re-Orientation that prevents a sitting President, Governor, Senator or anyone in power from concentrating development in his or her village, rather than having a developmental plan for the entire country.

Whether we are Kanuri; Tiv; Igbo; Yoruba; Fulani; or Hausa; a National Re-Orientation that makes us see ourselves first as Nigerians, with a responsibility to make this country work in our respective spheres of influence.

For us to move forward as a country, we urgently require this Re-orientation, and it is the collective responsibility of everyone starting from the homes, to schools, religious gatherings and every facet of our society.

Not a Conference.

God bless Nigeria.

Soji Adeola