ogwumgbe:


Give us the low down of the key appointments in this administration from Military down to Prison, I want to see it. You people should just go your way , enough is enough, we are done

Blackfire:
I like your write up...


But we all know you are an unstable person







6 years

Starships4u:
After reading through, I agree with yhu.

Most of these governor's are "wolves in sheep's clothing"

Seeing a particular state governor there makes me believe the whole exercise is a script.

UltimateSpice:
Convoking sovereign national conference is not a tea party as some people think.

It will negate the national assembly and subvert the existing Constitution.

Who will convoke the sovereign conference? Does the President have the power? Can the national assembly do it?

It is a dicey situation.

Blackfire:
I like your write up...


But we all know you are an unstable person my brother that guy is very unstable. He joined APC because money







6 years

TonyeBarcanista:
By Tonye Barcanista

On Tuesday, governors of southern states under the umbrella of Southern Nigeria Governors Forum, SNGF, met in Asaba, the capital of Delta state at the instance of Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, the Governor of Ondo state and Chairman of Southwest Governors Forum; Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the Governor of Delta state and Chairman of Southsouth Governors Forum; and Engr. David Umahi, the Governor of Ebonyi state and Southeast Governors Forum chairman.

The meeting, which had in attendance 15 Governors from the 17 southern states, including, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Babajide Sanwoolu (Lagos), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Hope Uzodinma (Imo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Willie Obiano of Anambra state, was to address the lingering economic, insecurity and other issues confronting the southern Nigeria region.

At the end of the meeting, the Governors, among other resolution, appealed the President Muhammadu Buhari to review the appointments of service chiefs and other officers of government to reflect fair representation and banned open grazing of cattle across the seventeen states in southern Nigeria. The Governors also appealed to the President Buhari to convoke a National Dialogue to address the rising ethnic tensions and other associated issues bedevilling the country.

While I concede that the Governors did well for taking collective decisions on several national issues, especially with respect to the ban on open grazing and the call on the President to revisit his sectional appointments, I am of the opinion that their call for National Dialogue is highly unnecessary as it would lead to another round of wastage of scarce resources and time, and would end up as another talk shop just like others before.

Four National Conferences, Zero Improvement
Since the year 1942, Nigeria has had different National conferences where people, acting on behalf of their various constituencies without mandate of those they claim to represent, would gather themselves discuss and reach resolutions- without subjecting their resolutions to the people through referendum to test whether they meet the yearnings and demands of the people they claim to represent. Worse still, the resolutions of these delegates are either left to rot in the shelf of the government in power or the government would appoint a committee to look into the report; which will lead to its natural death altogether.

The first national conference that was held for the "Nigerian people" was the Lanchester House Constitutional Conference. This conference, was held in London, United Kingdom and which gave birth to the Constitution of Nigeria at independence, had political leaders and other elites as delegates without subjecting themselves to being selected by the people of Nigeria. Resolutions were reached by these delegates, which formed the basis for our pre independent constitution. The problem with that conference was that the people of Nigeria were not allowed to have a say on those to represent their ethnic nationalities, and they were also denied of the privilege of deciding (through referendum) whether or not the resolutions of the conference met their expectations as a people or represent their interests.

Between the year 1994 and 1995, there was a constitutional conference that was convoked by General Sani Abacha, the then military head of state. The conference was to address the issues in the country with respect to several agitations, and propose appropriate solutions. Abacha's military administration appointed about 96 delegates to represent the government to the conference, while others were elected along state delineation rather than ethnic nationalities. The conference gulped a lot of resources, resolutions and recommendations were reached. The conference reports were handed over to Abacha, who arrogated himself the power to have the final say rather than subject it to the Nigerian people to decide through referendum whether or not its content was acceptable.

In 2005, the government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo okayed another round of constitutional conference to still discuss the issues of Nigeria that has lingered since pre independence. The then President alongside other 36 states governors, singlehandedly picked the 400 persons to serve as delegates to the conference to represent over 120 million people without the input of the people. The conference wasted another round of money and made resolutions. As usual, the people of Nigeria and all ethnic nationalities were denied the right to affirm or reject the content of the resolutions through a simple referendum. Instead, the conference report was handed to President Obasanjo without recourse to the people they claimed to represent, who in turn condemned it to a shelf in his presidential office.

In 2014, the administration of Goodluck Jonathan announced convocation of National conference. Just like its predecessor conferences, Jonathan's government alongside 36 state governors singlehandedly picked delegates for the conference without recourse to the people of Nigeria, who they claim to represent. As usual, the resolutions of the conference was not subjected to the approval or disapproval of the Nigerian people. Instead, it was handed over to President Goodluck Jonathan, who in turn appointed a committee to advice on implementation leading to its natural death.

Considering the aforementioned, it is right to say that the call on President Buhari for a convocation of National Dialogue Conference by the Southern Governors is tantamount to repeating the same thing and expecting different outcome.

The only conference that will lead to solution of the problems of Nigeria is the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference of ethnic nationalities. This conference should have the various ethnic nations in Nigeria electing their delegates, it should be a 'no hold barred' summit, and resolutions be subject to referendum in each of the ethnic nations. Other than this, we will continue on our wild goose chase without any end. Despite that the call for a conference with sovereign status has been advocated by numerous stakeholders across the 250 ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria in the last four decades, successive governments, political leaders and other elites that are benefitting from the incumbent unfavorable system have consistently ignored it.

Conclusively, every unbiased and sane mind will agree that Nigeria's problem is structural. The various ethnic nationalities and the citizens don't see themselves as stakeholders in the country because they were neither consulted nor did they play any part in the process that led to the creation and promulgation of the 1999 Constitution, and only a Sovereign National Conference can usher solution.

May God bless us all and bless Nigeria.

Tonye Barcanista is a political commentator and analyst, he writes from Abuja.

tonyebarcanista@gmail.com

TonyeBarcanista:

While the one done during Goodluck may appear as good especially with respect to what we currently have, it still fell below expectation.

The conference didn't conclude on the issue of derivatives, the conference's delegates were not elected by the various ethnic nationalities but by the President and his governors, the handpicked conference delegates were along state delineation rather than ethnic nationalities, the conference report cannot be said to be different from other legal documents because it didn't pass through a referendum etc.

donbachi:
Waste of money and time..they should implement the one held during goodluck's time.

emmadothings:

The country would have been in war if the one sided selective conference had been implemented....

Sakamaje:
If na National conference be the way forward, no need organising another jamboree with taxpayers money. They should dust up the report from the one GEJ organized, and implement its recommendations. Kapish.

donbachi:
Waste of money and time..they should implement the one held during goodluck's time.

anigbajumo:


Lol, They av done that in the past and it failed. Nigeria is a country not a banana republic, u can't draft any resolution and think it will be implemented without passing through the Nass. It will never see the light of the day.

ProfAmaben:
The South is gradually waking up. You benefit nothing being enmeshed with leeches and parasites.

How many Fulani and Hausa billionaires would be millionaires today if not for Oil money that they steal without caution or remorse?

The South is very docile and have allowed this evil happen over decades. Today, Oil has drastically lost its value and the South could have been a magnificent edifice without the parasites and Almajiri Muhammad head slamming pedophiles.

Let's practice true federalism where everyone is equal and respected, where there's fairness and justice. This country is currently overloading it's scarce resources by employing hundreds of Almajiri from Katsina into all sensitive parts of government MDA's and are massively paid for doing nothing via the South's wealth.

Those that earn 200k plus in Nasrda, DPR, EFCC, NHIS etc, what are they doing there? How can Nasrda have over 4000+ staff and recently recruited over 1k people this January?

Breakdown of excessive staffing for just a year:
1000 new recruits in Nasrda level 7 @ 197k a month = 197 million naira * 12 = 2.64 billion naira a year paid to people for doing absolutely nothing. Let's not talk about their bonuses, pension, gratuity etc.

Imagine employing 200 people in DPR from Katsina level 07 @ 370k monthly for a year, that's 880 million naira annually without 13th month salary.
Nigeria is truly finished and would keep paying recurrent expenditure over what doesn't benefit the nation in any shape or form.

This is how the Hausa Fulani is impoverishing Nigeria and empowering terrorists to keep oppressing the South, imagine how many are being employed on a daily basis to waste Nigeria's scarce resources??

ipobvsdss:
people like you are the real problem. Dis is what you can come up with after reading this piece.

ogwumgbe:


As long as the current situation is concerned, there's nothing like NASS, Nigeria is a fraudulent State governed by skewed constitution to favor few without due consultation of all parties involved just because they held the power. In other words we are governed by the constitution of dictatorial regime, and as long as this constitution still stands, Nigeria is not a democracy but a communist State. Even the way Niger Delta oil is shared among the States is pure communism. We need to overhaul the whole system and go back to the drawing board if Nigeria still want to remain one entity, other wise, to your tents oh Israel

OfoIgbo:


God forbid that they should adopt GEJ's conference. It doesn't go far enough, and it builds on false foundation laid by the fraudulent 1999 constitution

Nigeria needs a sovereign national conference. Before the sovereign national conference, there should be ethnic conferences, where members of various ethnic groups adopt their ethnic constitutions. After these ethnic conferences and adoptions of ethnic nationalities constitutions, representatives from the various ethnic groups can then attend a sovereign national conference of all ethnic nationalities in the geographical space known as Nigeria, and all these reps must head to the SNC with their own individual ethnic constitutions.

One should be considered a member of an ethnic group, if the person shares the same language (65% similarity), and major aspects of the culture of that particular ethnic group. DNA can also play a part during dispute scenarios. So basically, if a village speaks Hausa as their first language and has Hausa culture, that village can't claim to be Yoruba. If they claim to be Yoruba, a DNA inspection can determine whether they have biological building blocks in common with the Yoruba or with the Hausa. No false tales of origin will suffice.

It is in the SNC that a federal constitution is put together, taking notice of all the federating units (ethnic nationalities) and their constitutions.
This federal constitution must have a clause that allows for referendums by each federating unit, just in case they may want to break away, if the terms of the federal constitution is being trampled upon by any domineering federating unit.

cc: Tonyebarcanista

ProfAmaben:
The South is gradually waking up. You benefit nothing being enmeshed with leeches and parasites.

How many Fulani and Hausa billionaires would be millionaires today if not for Oil money that they steal without caution or remorse?

The South is very docile and have allowed this evil happen over decades. Today, Oil has drastically lost its value and the South could have been a magnificent edifice without the parasites and Almajiri Muhammad head slamming pedophiles.

Let's practice true federalism where everyone is equal and respected, where there's fairness and justice. This country is currently overloading it's scarce resources by employing hundreds of Almajiri from Katsina into all sensitive parts of government MDA's and are massively paid for doing nothing via the South's wealth.

Those that earn 200k plus in Nasrda, DPR, EFCC, NHIS etc, what are they doing there? How can Nasrda have over 4000+ staff and recently recruited over 1k people this January?

Breakdown of excessive staffing for just a year:
1000 new recruits in Nasrda level 7 @ 197k a month = 197 million naira * 12 = 2.64 billion naira a year paid to people for doing absolutely nothing. Let's not talk about their bonuses, pension, gratuity etc.

Imagine employing 200 people in DPR from Katsina level 07 @ 370k monthly for a year, that's 880 million naira annually without 13th month salary.
Nigeria is truly finished and would keep paying recurrent expenditure over what doesn't benefit the nation in any shape or form.

This is how the Hausa Fulani is impoverishing Nigeria and empowering terrorists to keep oppressing the South, imagine how many are being employed on a daily basis to waste Nigeria's scarce resources??

nograv:


Gbam, you havent told one lie, but when you explain these facts Northerners cry that you are a tribalist and hate Northerners mtchew...

post=101678424:

All these National Dialogue is nothing but a waste of scare National resources.


Round pegs in a square hole.
It can and will never work.
This is so true.


SECONDED.
This is the absolute truth of the whole matter.


The truth of the whole matter is that Nigeria's problem is structural.


Wow!
Good to read this part from you.
Anyone that says God bless Nigeria will so be blessed.
And anyone that says otherwise, na dem sabi!

Very Good article Tonye.

We Rise!

funkekemi:
Lagos state governor

TonyeBarcanista:
By Tonye Barcanista

On Tuesday, governors of southern states under the umbrella of Southern Nigeria Governors Forum, SNGF, met in Asaba, the capital of Delta state at the instance of Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, the Governor of Ondo state and Chairman of Southwest Governors Forum; Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the Governor of Delta state and Chairman of Southsouth Governors Forum; and Engr. David Umahi, the Governor of Ebonyi state and Southeast Governors Forum chairman.

The meeting, which had in attendance 15 Governors from the 17 southern states, including, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Babajide Sanwoolu (Lagos), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Hope Uzodinma (Imo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Willie Obiano of Anambra state, was to address the lingering economic, insecurity and other issues confronting the southern Nigeria region.

At the end of the meeting, the Governors, among other resolution, appealed the President Muhammadu Buhari to review the appointments of service chiefs and other officers of government to reflect fair representation and banned open grazing of cattle across the seventeen states in southern Nigeria. The Governors also appealed to the President Buhari to convoke a National Dialogue to address the rising ethnic tensions and other associated issues bedevilling the country.

While I concede that the Governors did well for taking collective decisions on several national issues, especially with respect to the ban on open grazing and the call on the President to revisit his sectional appointments, I am of the opinion that their call for National Dialogue is highly unnecessary as it would lead to another round of wastage of scarce resources and time, and would end up as another talk shop just like others before.

Four National Conferences, Zero Improvement
Since the year 1942, Nigeria has had different National conferences where people, acting on behalf of their various constituencies without mandate of those they claim to represent, would gather themselves discuss and reach resolutions- without subjecting their resolutions to the people through referendum to test whether they meet the yearnings and demands of the people they claim to represent. Worse still, the resolutions of these delegates are either left to rot in the shelf of the government in power or the government would appoint a committee to look into the report; which will lead to its natural death altogether.

The first national conference that was held for the "Nigerian people" was the Lanchester House Constitutional Conference. This conference, was held in London, United Kingdom and which gave birth to the Constitution of Nigeria at independence, had political leaders and other elites as delegates without subjecting themselves to being selected by the people of Nigeria. Resolutions were reached by these delegates, which formed the basis for our pre independent constitution. The problem with that conference was that the people of Nigeria were not allowed to have a say on those to represent their ethnic nationalities, and they were also denied of the privilege of deciding (through referendum) whether or not the resolutions of the conference met their expectations as a people or represent their interests.

Between the year 1994 and 1995, there was a constitutional conference that was convoked by General Sani Abacha, the then military head of state. The conference was to address the issues in the country with respect to several agitations, and propose appropriate solutions. Abacha's military administration appointed about 96 delegates to represent the government to the conference, while others were elected along state delineation rather than ethnic nationalities. The conference gulped a lot of resources, resolutions and recommendations were reached. The conference reports were handed over to Abacha, who arrogated himself the power to have the final say rather than subject it to the Nigerian people to decide through referendum whether or not its content was acceptable.

In 2005, the government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo okayed another round of constitutional conference to still discuss the issues of Nigeria that has lingered since pre independence. The then President alongside other 36 states governors, singlehandedly picked the 400 persons to serve as delegates to the conference to represent over 120 million people without the input of the people. The conference wasted another round of money and made resolutions. As usual, the people of Nigeria and all ethnic nationalities were denied the right to affirm or reject the content of the resolutions through a simple referendum. Instead, the conference report was handed to President Obasanjo without recourse to the people they claimed to represent, who in turn condemned it to a shelf in his presidential office.

In 2014, the administration of Goodluck Jonathan announced convocation of National conference. Just like its predecessor conferences, Jonathan's government alongside 36 state governors singlehandedly picked delegates for the conference without recourse to the people of Nigeria, who they claim to represent. As usual, the resolutions of the conference was not subjected to the approval or disapproval of the Nigerian people. Instead, it was handed over to President Goodluck Jonathan, who in turn appointed a committee to advice on implementation leading to its natural death.

Considering the aforementioned, it is right to say that the call on President Buhari for a convocation of National Dialogue Conference by the Southern Governors is tantamount to repeating the same thing and expecting different outcome.

The only conference that will lead to solution of the problems of Nigeria is the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference of ethnic nationalities. This conference should have the various ethnic nations in Nigeria electing their delegates, it should be a 'no hold barred' summit, and resolutions be subject to referendum in each of the ethnic nations. Other than this, we will continue on our wild goose chase without any end. Despite that the call for a conference with sovereign status has been advocated by numerous stakeholders across the 250 ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria in the last four decades, successive governments, political leaders and other elites that are benefitting from the incumbent unfavorable system have consistently ignored it.

Conclusively, every unbiased and sane mind will agree that Nigeria's problem is structural. The various ethnic nationalities and the citizens don't see themselves as stakeholders in the country because they were neither consulted nor did they play any part in the process that led to the creation and promulgation of the 1999 Constitution, and only a Sovereign National Conference can usher solution.

May God bless us all and bless Nigeria.

Tonye Barcanista is a political commentator and analyst, he writes from Abuja.

tonyebarcanista@gmail.com

ProfAmaben:


They know that their game is up, nobody fears them or their weapons of oppression again. Do you know why the SE is being regarded again in Nigeria recently? No one is scared of the NPF or military over there again.

TonyeBarcanista:

Unfortunately for you, nobody formed Nigeria whether in 1914 or 1960.

The British did their cut and join in 1914 without consulting ethnic nationalities. They created protectorates, regions and zones (which later transmuted to states and regions) without consulting any of the constituting ethnic nationalities. The political class in the 1960s further adopted this system and created states along political line without consulting the ethnic nationalities.

State and LG creation in Nigeria are mere political delineation and arrangement. An Ijaw man cannot represent the interest of Ogoni people despite all lumped in same Rivers state, neither can an Ibibio man represent Annang people. An Ogoja man can't represent Eket or Calabar people despite all lumped in Cross rivers state.

So if Nigeria has 250 ethnic groups, let each group nominate (through election) their own representatives to the SNC. Whoever demand isn't meant can decide to exit through a referendum. Whoever demand is met will have to affirm it through referendum.

This is the sanest way to go.