2014 Confab delegates laud Senate’s move on reports

Delegates who participated in the 2014 Constitutional Conference have reacted to Wednesday demand of the Senate to the Presidency, for the reports of the parley describing it as a good step towards final implementation.

Some of those who commended the Senate, in anticipation that the step would eventually lead to the desired restructuring and reformation of the country, include National Coordinator of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams, National Publicity Secretary of the Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF), Dr. Kunle Olajide and Yinka Odumakin.

It would be recalled that since the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) took over government in 2015, the enthusiasms that that the party would implement the reports of the conference have been dampened.

President Muhammadu Buhari, sometimes last year, was reported to have said that the 2014 Conference Report was best for the acrhieves and that he was yet to read it.

In his reaction yesterday, Adams commended the lawmakers, saying, “that decision alone was a demonstration of true leadership and commitment to the growth and development of the country, which the generation unborn would remember them for if implemented.”

According to him, “Every delegate to the conference would feel fulfilled by the Senators decision. Those who wanted the progress of Nigeria would be happy because the implementation of the 2014 conference reports is the only way through which secession could be stopped.

“I can say without fear that unless the country takes the step towards implementing the conference report, I cannot guarantee the continuity of Nigeria in the next five years.”

Adams further advised the Senate not to make the mistake of taking parts of the recommendations for implementation saying it would still amount to nothing. He said, “the recommendations have addressed every aspects, sectors and needs of the country including the judiciary, executive, local government and others.

“For instance, the conference recommended that each state of the federation should have its Supreme and Appeal courts to fast track judicial process. It is therefore necessary that the lawmakers should take critical look into all the recommendations.”

The OPC coordinator added that though the conference did not agree on regionalism, “the most important area where I think should also be looked into by the Senate is regionalism. Although it was not part of the report, I will encourage them to look into it. I commended them for the decision and it would be historical if they could do the necessary justice to the report.”

Positing that the Senate call for the submission of the report was a positive development, Olajide said, “It is better late than never. The over 600 recommendations arrived at the 2014 Conference would lead to proper restructuring and better reformation of the Nigeria system if implemented.”

He said the composition of the conference was the best so far in Nigeria and it is better than any other political gatherings that the country has ever assembled.

According to him, “Apart from the few nominations of elders by the government, the entire sectors and sections of the country were well represented by quality, responsible, committed and tested people and it was by far superior to any electoral process in the country.

“We arrived at the resolutions without rancour and distrust. I am not in doubt at all that if we refer to the resolutions, Nigeria would be better otherwise we would continue to take one step forward and 10 backwards. There is no way we could have run away from the report of the conference.”

Odumakin said it was a welcome development because the country is at present on the edge of precipice stressing, “we can only hope they are serious about it and not that they are playing games to just douse tension.

“If they do the right thing which Nigerians have been expecting them to do all along, all of us will benefit tremendously from a prosperous and peaceful country that the confab, through the recommendations, designed Nigeria to be.

“We can only hope that the step towards redeeming the country from the myriad of problems that had plagued us since the years of independence, has been taken by the current Senate.”