NATIONAL CONFERENCE or ‘FOOD IS READY’? – by Gbenro Olajuyigbe
‘—- the man who believes in nothing—and has space for everything has a terrible advantage over us’ –John Lecarre
Expressing his reservations, a colleague of mine asked me whether i knew that the National Conference Committee inaugurated by the President recently was the SEVENTY FIRST (71st) committee he would be inaugurating on one thing or the other. Seventy – One committees! I never counted! Unlike my colleague, am poor at Historical Mathematics! He was surprised at my excitements because it was unusual of me not to do analysis of believability of any declaration; especially from a politician! Anyway, my excitement was drawn from conviction in the desirability of a people – driven- sovereign national conference. Understandably, i gave MR. President the benefit of doubt, not benefit of history! Not quite some time a stronger force within me started resistance; loudly saying hey, boy! You need history today to reach a conclusion about the future ! I then to listen attentively to the Seventh – Sense, something Lawyers will call Precedence; and which one of my pastor – friends will refer to as Ancient Landmark! Just as i was reflecting on my doubts, MR President, who loved supporting his confused citizens removed all my doubts. He declared when the Vice- President led others to pay homage to him on Sallah day that ‘the outcome of the conference will be sent to the National Assembly’. ‘Gbam’, then i knew, as usual ‘FOOD IS READY’! A new journey on an old road has stated. A journey on old road once travelled by Gowon, Babangida, Abacha, and Obasanjo. A journey on a familiar ‘famished road’ that lead to no where. Sovereign National Conference is not an ‘almighty formula’ to our problems but if committedly and sincerely pursed, will be an in-road to solution and progress. However, when it becomes cannon fodder to those seeking refuge from volcanoes of a political topsy-tovydon, it carries every undertone of ‘caveat emptor’- buyers, beware!
Some people had claimed that the President did not state any ‘no- go areas’ and so, their faith in the conference! Good faith to such people. After sometime, we shall compare notes. For me, there is no ‘ no—go- area’ that is worse than subjecting the outcome of the conference to the mercy and salvation of a Parliament which is itself an output of a incurably defective constitution that ab initio is the ‘raison d’être’ for the conference. Any conference output that does not end in referendum will be as good as the reports of the earlier seventy committees set up by the President.
I have also heard those welting their tongues for the conference saying that the composition should be drawn from ethnic nationalities, based on the fact that they are the platforms that people will return to if the country breaks up. How does this address the questions of what drove us into fratricidal ethnicity. The maladies that destroyed the zeal for patriotism and nationalism. Other climes are expanding the horizon of their citizenship using globalist re-construction model; ours continue to shrink from Nigerianist to tribalist models! This shrinkage of space has constrained our capacity for development. The lost space is now being idealised and converted to violence.
There is ample evidence to show that the seed producing violence in Nigeria is rooted in abuse of rights, unequal access to opportunities ,pervasive and primordial corruption, hostile and polluted environment, defiled and denigrated citizenship, fratricidal ethnicity and religiosity among others. These are the sound of the stale music that defines the dancing steps that set in motion the turbine of intolerance and violence that has become the nation’s propeller of conflict and crises. Pains, tears and death of hapless citizens are common traits of dastardly evil and fatal greed ascribable to our vicious rulers’ bad – governance. A Conference that is not sovereign enough to frontally address these will get us nowhere.
With epidemy of impunity and lawlessness across the country, Nigeria now provides the kind of example we need to understand the contradiction of a state without citizens; wretched people on rich land; paradox of a cowboy without milk, tale of a clothe maker who walks naked to market, and story of a butcher who eats bone for supper. Faced with the reality but lost in the infamy of denial, the state continue to hunt down some of her people who merely commit the crime she prepares. Those who dare to point out the danger of inglorious contradiction of poverty in the midst of plenty, consequential injustices and the need for structural reconstruction are tagged unpatriotic. Except for pretence, even toddlers know that poverty and insecurity are old time allies. There is no way we can steer this country away from danger, mop the corridor of conflict without starving the poverty often created by unjust wealth to death. Unless we sweep the sky that has become dumping site for political toxicants, economic irritants and socially demeaning brand of ruler – ship with soft spot for injustices, Nigerians will not be able to see clearly, hope and future that abound in any strategy targeting one nation, one destiny.
The coast for peace can not be cleared as long as creek people continue to fish in troubled waters. Laboring in vain, casting net in order to catch fish that have been assassinated by trespassing unkind oil and lethal pollutants. Unless waters flow in and unto the Savannahs, the Sahel and the near desert parts of the country to quench thirst for social and human development, the climate for crises will always be rive. Anger cannot be pacified without battling hunger that has become trademark of most Nigerian children, youth and the aged. The Nigeria crisis has gone beyond what parochial strategy can curtail. No matter how relentless and intensifying, fashioning deception and thoughtlessness into semblance of conference will not solve the problems. The best it can achieve is corrupted hope that will postpone the evil day.
Every volley of bullet that goes out, from the state or citizen, even if it hits and kills its target, has sad message for the future. It is not only the enemy that goes down with it; both the future and generations yet unborn are victims. It defines and delineates the deadly game our children will play in future. Nigerians cannot afford to be trapped by their rulers political innuendoes and error of threading the old road of deceit. We cannot and should not go the same old road. A better way to go is to come together as a people, deciding together our destiny. Setting standards for our existence through genuine and hold-no-bar dialogue that can remove cottons from the ears of the deaf and wools from the eye of the blind.
Pushing it to our governments that people come before constitution. That democracy is a trash; and will crash without the people. That instead of hankering for loots and booties in office, our governors and officials should sit right and prioritize people as the first and only reason for government and society; and so, acknowledging their sovereignty.
A conference whose outcome is determined by any motivation different from the sovereignty of the people will produce more miserable citizenry. The ultimate outcome from such cannot guarantee anything beyond the gross darkness that people are already groaning in. We will only emerge blinking into a new culture and a new Nigeria when we have a Nigeria, where the vote of Adamu, my road side vulcanizer count as that of Jonathan, my President. When the daughter of Ukpong, the Palm wine tapper from Ikot-Ekpene has equal access to opportunities like the daughter of Mark, the Senate President from Benue.
A conference whose outcome will not produce schools that will equally be attended by children of both the rich and the poor, health services that will make seeking medical salvation abroad history, will just be another figure seventy –one of Jonathan’s committees according to my colleague. Like Danjuma’s Technical Committee that did not produce technical result in President’s hand, Orosanye’s Committee whose end result did not merge even two parastatals, Ministerial Committee on UNEP Report of Ogoni Oil pollution; Ribadu’s Petroleum Committee, Boko Haram Amnesty Committee and many others. This may just be another. And for the professional jobbers who might find themselves in this ‘Baba – Put’ cafeteria , FOOD IS READY!
By: Gbenro Olajuyigbe`
Human Security in Conflict & Emergencies Manager,
ActionAid Nigeria,
ABUJA, NIGERIA.
E-Mail: Olugbenro.olajuyigbe@actionaid.org