My recent experience as a parent with my children particularly the one who has semblance of my genetics in some respect reveals to me that it is of necessity that we make times out of our busy schedules to respond to their inquisitive spirits otherwise, we would either loose them permanently and or do much damage to their understandings of current affairs of our immediate environment and Nigeria as a collective.
 
My beloved BB in fact has in recent times enlightened me about the attitudes of his peer group.  He informed me that their own generation from 35 years downward have no adequate or exciting information on Nigerian’s socio-political and economic status.  For example, he told me that most of them have no knowledge as to the establishment and working of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO and its former campaign for restoration of M.K.O. Abiola Presidential June 12 1993 victory and the convocation of a sovereign National Congress, SNC for the purposes of discussion and resolution of the Nigerian National Question.  So when we write or recount the exploits of NADECO in the face of a most violent military jackboot under Gen. Abacha, they seem to be unusually bewildered. Our conversation went beyond my expectation.
 
Question:​Is Nigeria a country or a nation?
 
Answer:​First, Nigeria at 51yrs plus regrettably remains a country.  The country has had opportuned occasions to make Nigeria a nation, but such opportunities were waisted.  For example, our founding fathers and their political parties namely, the Northern Peoples Congress, NPC and the National Council of Nigerian Citizen, NCNC respectively preferred the celebration of October 1, 1960 promise of Independence than the implementation of the Henry Willinks Commission’s recommendations on the just agitations of the minorities.  Against the Action Group’s desire for the creation of COR and Middle Belt States/Regions, all that was done was the insertion of the human rights provisions in the 1960 constitution of Nigeria.
 
Second, when the military struck on January 15, 1966, the execution of the military insurrection exposed the bias of some of the coupists when the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Nigeria’s First Prime Minister, from the Northern Region and Chief S. L. Akintola from the Western Region were killed in the uprising but surprisingly the premiers of both the Eastern and the Mid-Western Regions were spared.  All patronizing excuses to lay the blame on individual failures in the execution of the coup has failed to convince critical minds till date. 
 
Third, Nigerians again waisted another important occasion when the military strongmen annulled a Pan Nigerian mandate and victory given by Nigerians to Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola in the June 12, 1999 presidential election where he trounced the NRC candidate, Alhaji Bashir Tofa.  Rather than appreciate and consolidate the import of Abiola’s victory which was rightly regarded as a Pan Nigeria rejection of the national dubious divides, like muslim/muslim ticket, North/South dichotomy, etc the military strongmen rejected the free will and choice of the majority of Nigerians as expressed in the ballot and foisted a totally unpopular Gen. Obasanjo on Nigeria and the General lived to his bidding by betraying them as usual.
 
WHY IS THE RECENT RENEWED CAMPAIGN FOR SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE?
 
First, the current renewed campaign has now intensified nationally because the state of the nation has exposed the underbelly of Nigerian fractured security and unity as we raced to the precipice.  For example, the BOKO HARAM phenomenon has finally admitted Nigeria into the Islamic fundamentalists sign posts.  The terrorist group makes no pretence as to its objectives-rejection of western civilization, its culture, its politics, its education and its value system.  Also, the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOP) remains committed to the liberation of Igbo land from the suffocating Nigeria.  The south-south remains in pursuant of the goal of resource control while the Odua People Congress, OPC, Odua Liberation Movement, (OLM) COSEG are all committed to the goal of self determination for the West.  
 
Second, the fact of the matter is that there are reasons why many people are not happy with the Nigerian project.  Nigeria from 1960 has been welded together by the force of arms.  Incidentally, the global world has found out that multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-linguistic nations that were hitherto forced to collaborate had collapsed and fragmented by the contradiction of centrifugal forces.  For example, the United States of Soviet Republic, USSR, the old President Tito’s Yugoslavia had broken into autonomous nations after the demise of their Leader Tito.  Great Britain has been forced to make concessions to Ireland, Scotland etc. The reality today is that self determination is the global anthem for this 21st millennium.
 
Third, the realistic option for the survival of this geographical expression is that the political operators should give Nigerians the opportunity to democratically sit together to decide how they want to be governed henceforth for the first time.  It is clear from the strong views emanating from across Nigeria that the continual survival of Nigeria lies in national resolutions and conclusions of the National Question.  Questions determining whether or not we want to remain together and what would be the guiding rules of engagement/and or on what terms must be democratically resolved and concluded for the greater good of the country.
 
Four, furthermore, Nigeria need to determine whether or not our country can continue to practice the Presidential system of government as opposed to the Westmister Parliamentary system, by-camera rather than a single legislature and whether or not that we should choose part-time rather than full-time legislature. While the Presidential system remains very expensive in its structures, and operations, the parliamentary system is reasonably less expensive and the fact that the ministers are from the parliament keep the executive closer to the representatives of the people for beneficial interaction between government and people.
 
Fifth,  except for want of description, how can a society invests about 80% of its total earning on recurrent expenditures.  Ambassador Emeka Anyaoku at the 2012 Tinubu’s annual colloquium said that that Nigeria is currently spending 74% of its total income on running the government recurrent expenditure. In a situation whereby many states cannot pay the meager N18,000 National Minimum wage, how can our political operators continue to earn grossly disproportional wages and allowances?  Our top leaders in both the executive and legislatures earn higher pay than President Barack Obama, the President of the biggest economy and the most powerful nation on earth.
 
WHY SHOULD THERE BE LOUD CAMPAIGN FOR SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE WHEN THERE IS A NATIONAL ASSEMBLY?
 
First, writing a new constitution that carries the authentic garment of autoctonocity is a national project that will most likely affect the shape and structure of the National Assembly itself and again it is a fundamental principle of law that you cannot preside over your own matter.
 
Second, no individual party and or candidate presented the subject matter of writing a new constitution in their manifesto for the 2011 national elections. It means they never had a mandate of their constituents to write a new constitution.
 
Third, law making business, particularly, the grundnorm, as opposed to constitutional amendments rightly belongs to constituent assembly expected to make laws which may affect the assemblies as we now have them.
 
Four, again, sovereignty belongs to the people. They periodically invest a part of their sovereignty on the candidates who eventually win particular elections. That is why governments in civilized climes and matured democracies usually refer to the people through referendum, and or plebiscite significant new developments occurring that were not envisaged in between their mandates to another elections. Readers should understand the import of this aspect with what is going on within the European Union Nation States over their various economies. Germany, Italy, Spain, and Greece etc have had to present new issues on monetary policy matters to their audience in referendum or plebiscite.
 
Five, let it be known as a fact that the resolutions and conclusions of the representatives of the people at a Sovereign National Conference, SNC shall not affect the operations of the sitting governments.  The new constitution shall commence to operate at agreed date after the current governments have enjoyed/completed their lifespan.
 
WHY IS NIGERIA WITHIN THE FIVE MOST CORRUPT NATIONS IN THE WORLD?
 
First, the predicament of corruption can be traced to the Muritala/Obasanjo’s emergence into governance in Nigeria.  Muritala/Obasanjo’s purported purge of the civil service which led to situations whereby in contrast to the general order or civil service rule, many top and junior officers were indiscriminately sacked, suspended and quarried in military fashions.  In fact, many senior officers on leaving their officers at the close of time got their sack notices in vehicles while returning home. The unfortunate case of General Muritala Mohammed’s personal quarrel with Alhaji Sule Katagum the erstwhile chairman of the Federal Civil Service and Mr. Akindele the top most engineer of the Federal Ministry of Communication are illustrative of the lawlessness of military dictatorship.
 
Second, the fact of the matter is that succeeding governments leadership since the advent of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida regime have totally undermined the state institutions established to identify, check, prevent and eliminate corruption.  Police was undermined and unfunded adequately for over two and half decades.  The police was not given the modern tool neither was the institution’s personal welfare well attended to. One can remember that the military leadership deliberately weakened the police so that no other government coercive agency can deter the army from undertaking its usual insurrection against the state.
 
Third, rather than punish severally identified culprits, many of the accused have been promoted to higher status in government. For example, the National Electricity Commission’s over N5 billion was allegedly stolen by its former management in collusion with the Senate and House of Representatives Committees Leadership, yet, all that the EFCC has done was to take them to court once and there have been no further activity on the case. To make matters worse the House of Representative Chairman, and others have been “re-elected” into the National Assembly.  
 
 
WHAT WILL BE THE MODE OF REPRESENTATION INTO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY?
 
First, an appreciable work had been done to identify the various ethnic groups in the country.  At the PRONACO conference, there were about 415 identifiable ethnic configurations in the country.  Many of them speak identical tongue.  Therefore there are agreeable ethnic blockings that are acceptable as common factor ethnic languages all over the country.
 
Second, opinion leaders should know that at the SNC, representation would not be by the concept of majority and or minority.  Each ethnic group will have one vote.  Every grouped ethnic blockings/regional federation will come to the conference with their draft constitutions.  These drafts will then be tabled, discussed, resolved and concluded on the basis of give and take.
 
Third, elections and or nominations to the SNC will be held in accordance with the traditional ways and procedure which is traditionally and or culturally acceptable for choosing, nominating and electing representatives of such ethnic groups, and other stakeholders. Governments will not nominate people either for the ethnic nationalities or for other stakeholders.
 
Federal Government is expected to be represented in the conference just by very few nominees to represent key government departments. For example, the secretary to Federal Government, the Leadership of the Army, Airforce, Navy, Police, National Security etc. may be expected to be nominated by government at the centre.
 
Some of us are of the opinion that each group should cater for the welfare of its nominees. Other details should be well discussed and adopted among the representatives who will manage the conference as soon as the people are ready for the national dialogue. Those who are against authentic national dialogue most likely because of their current advantageous positions are the very enemies of the corporate Nigeria.

What a topic!
I still keep telling people that Nigeria is not a Nation!
Even these killings alone!
Pls, dont give me dico meaning of Nation!