President Goodluck Jonathan has said the need for the convocation of a National Conference to discuss germane issues affecting the country was borne out of an urgent need to solve the growing tension in the polity
President Jonathan while inaugurating the National Advisory Committee on National Dialogue led by Senator Femi Okurounmu, said “Clearly, every dialogue adds something valuable to our evolving nation. The urgency of a national conversation in the present therefore, need not be over emphasised.
According to him, “as we continue to strive to build a strong and virile nation, especially in the midst of agitations and tensions, we cannot deny the fact that sitting down to talk is one right step in calming down tensions and channeling our grievances, misgivings and suggestions into more positive use for the good of our country.”
Describing it as a child of necessity and extending its tenure by two weeks, President Jonathan said his intentions is a sincere and fundamental undertaking aimed at examining and resolving longstanding impediments to the nation’s cohesion and harmonious development.
He also allayed the fears of those who think the conference will call the integrity of Nigeria into question, adding that the discourse would strengthen the nation’s union and address issues that are often on the front burner, and are too frequently ignored.
He also gave the committee the task of determining what would be the nomenclature for the National Discourse, stating that at the moment there was no name for it which is why he referred to it as a dialogue or conference committee.
He said the extension of the tenure became necessary in order to give Muslims who would be on Hajj the opportunity of returning to the country and contributing to the committee’s work before it winds up.
The President has also explained that the reason, he decided to change his initial anti-national conference posture was because of his realization that as challenges emerge, leaders must respond with best available strategies to ensure that the ship of state remains on course.

Jonathan said his initial skepticism was borne out of the nomenclature of such a conference, taking into cognizance existing democratic structures that were products of the will of the people.
He said that with the inauguration of the committee, the nation was taking historic and concrete steps that would further strengthen its citizens’
understanding, expand the frontiers of their inclusiveness and deepen their bond as one people under God.
According to him, “There is a view by some of our people that we do not need to sit together to dialogue over the socio-political challenges facing our country. Some believe that because we have held several conferences in the past, we do not need to hold another one.
“I was one of those who exhibited skepticism on the need for another conference or dialogue. My skepticism was borne out of the nomenclature of such a Conference, taking into cognizance existing democratic structures that were products of the will of the people.
“However, we are in a democracy, and in a democracy; elected leaders govern at the behest of the citizenry. As challenges emerge, season after season, leaders must respond with best available strategies to ensure that the ship of state remains undeterred in its voyage.
“Nations rise to the challenges that each epoch presents. It is imperative therefore, that in our march to nationhood, we have to be dynamic in our approach and response to the problems, even as we seek solutions to them.
We cannot proffer yesterday’s solutions to today’s problems.”The President recalled the conference that were held before 1960 were designed to produce a political system and a roadmap to Nigeria’s independence.
He said while the Constitutional Conference of 1957 in London prepared Nigeria for Independence, the Constituent Assembly of 1978 gave the nation the 1979 Constitution and also created the current Presidential System with its attendant checks and balances and Fundamental Human Rights provisions.

He added that the 2005 National Political Reform Conference produced a number of key recommendations that were sent to the fifth Assembly, which were however not perfected. He also said the Justice Alfa Belgore Committee with a mandate to review the reports of past conferences worked hard and came out with its report that included a number of Bills, which were forwarded to the National Assembly.
Appreciating the leadership of the National Assembly in supporting the national Conference, President Jonathan said the concept of participatory democracy is such that even after the people have given their representatives the mandate to make laws and act on their behalf, there is also a space for the governed to make further input into the political processes, without undermining the authority of the statutory bodies.
“Sovereignty continues to be with the people even as the people evolve strategies and tactics to strengthen its foundation for the benefit of successor generations.
“It is this sort of collaboration between the people and established institutions of government, that will allow for a robust outcome that leads to greater understanding and a more cohesive and inclusive Union.
For me, there is no alternative to inclusivity, equity and justice in a modern democratic state,” he said.
He urged the committee members to see their assignment as a serious task and consult widely before sitting down to develop the framework that will guide and guard the proceedings of the discussions.
“In the task before you, no voice is too small and no opinion is irrelevant. Thus, the views of the skeptics and those of the enthusiasts must be accommodated as you formulate this all-important framework.
This conversation is a people’s conversation and I urge you to formulate an all-inclusive process that protects the people’s interest.
“Let me also urge the Advisory Committee not only to be alive to the expectations of our people, but to bear in mind, that what we desire is what can work for the good of our people and country. The goal is to bequeath a better and a greater Nigeria to the present and the generation that is to come.
“We have wasted too much time and resources, bickering over sectional versions of what define reality. This is an open-ended luxury we can no longer afford. Let us move forward, with honest conviction and patriotic courage, to strengthen this Republic, and get it to work better and brighter, for all of us, to the glory of God,” he concluded.
Okurounmu, in his acceptance remarks, expressed the confidence that the conclusion of the committee’s assignment and the national conference that would follow, those who were once skeptical and critical of the idea of a national conference would have become persuaded of its merits and benefits to the nation.

He observed that no committee in the nation’s polity is more sensitive or carries higher expectations from Nigerians than his committee.

He recalled that for over two decades, there have been calls from many sections of the public for the convening of a national conference in one form or the other, saying Jonathan was courageous for setting it up.


He said advocates of such a conference were prompted by what they perceived as the injustices and inequities prevalent in the polity, all of which they attributed to the inadequacies of the constitutions foisted upon them by successive military regimes since 1966.
Okurounmu said, “To this clamour for a national conference there has always been a strong resistance from other sections of the public who, while they may not have been as loud and numerous as the advocates of a conference, nevertheless have much political clout.
“These two conflicting pressures have always put our leaders in a very precarious position, making them reluctant to endorse the convening of a national conference or dialogue.
“That is why President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, having decided to convene such a conference, must be commended for showing courage. He has by his present move, shown himself to be a listening president, a president willing to accede to the yearnings of majority of Nigerians, a president with a strong commitment to sincere constitutional reform as part of his ongoing transformation agenda”
He said Jonathan’s sincerity and commitment were further buttressed by the fact that he had not established any “no go areas” for his committee, thus opening up for discourse all aspects of the present constitution and national life.He added that by the President’s action, he had followed the footsteps of the great Solon, the lawgiver of ancient Athens, who through a new constitution, brought peace and stability to a city that had been suffering from acute social tension and disharmony.;Okurounmu promised on behalf of other members of the committee that they would not fail the President and the over 160 million Nigerians.
One of the members of the committee, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, who was said to be undergoing medical checkup abroad was absent at the inauguration. The event was witnessed by the National Chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, Bamanga Tukur; Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Tony Anenih; Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State; Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State; members of the Federal Executive Council.