… Revisit 2014 Confab report, Jonathan tells Buhari

Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has again called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to revisit the report of the 2014 national conference to end the myriad of agitations, protests, provocations and clamour for reforms in Nigeria.

  Jonathan, who spoke yesterday at the mega rally tagged, ‘Restructuring the Nigerian Federation’ organised by leaders of Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Afenifere and Middle Belt Forum under the aegis of Mass Alliance for Inclusive Nigeria (MAIN) Front at the Ox-Bow Lake Pavilion, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, said the implementation of the confab report was the only way out for Nigeria.

  Jonathan, whose speech was read by Senator Nimi Barigha Amange, noted that Nigerians “have to dialogue in order to avoid the opposite action which could bring about destruction of lives and property and the very thing that holds us together as members of the Nigeria federation.”

  He disclosed that he convened the 2014 national conference as a response to the yearnings of Nigerians for reforms to make the Nigerian federation work.

“I had my mind trained on establishing a polity that would work for our people and further unite our country. The one that would close the gaps along tribal, ethnic and religious lines,” Jonathan said.

  He averred that no ethnic nationality must be considered as less important in the quest to live together as a nation, adding that the solution to the avalanche of ethnic agitations going on in the country today could only be addressed through restructuring. “We are better off as a nation being together. Our multi-ethnic nationalities and population is to our advantage but we need to do more in terms of respecting the wish of every ethnic group so that we can continue to carry each other along in our quest to realising one indivisible nation,” he stated.

  Jonathan pointed out that until Nigeria comes up with an acceptable way of running the country, “there is every likelihood that our nation would continue to witness agitations and protests from groups and ethnic nationalities that believe rightly or wrongly that they have been handed the short end of the stick.”

  He added: “The goal of the 500-member conference made up of young and old; diverse people from all walks of life as true representatives of different interest groups in our country, thoroughly and fully discussed and agreed on every issue that has for long agitated the minds of Nigerians on how best to run the federation. This they did to the best of their abilities and to the satisfaction of most stakeholders as decisions were uniquely reached by consensus. Recent agitations and clamour for solutions have not radically departed from those findings. To me, it is a confirmation that the 2014 Confab report needs to be looked into by the authorities. I believe the confab report contains recommendations that provide answers to most of those questions that agitate the minds of Nigerians today.”

  Governor Henry Seriake Dickson in his address reiterated his assertion that those calling for the restructuring of Nigeria are the true lovers of the country, declaring that all over Nigeria there are cries for justice.

“The call for restructuring, which we are all here to reiterate, is a call for a return to the original founding principles.  All our leaders here are the real lovers of Nigeria and not the other way round. And no blackmail or intimidation should sway us to abandon this noble cause. Our nation is crying for justice; our nation is crying for freedom; our nation is crying for prosperity; our nation is crying for unity; unity that is sustainable; unity that is founded on justice,” Dickson said.

  Other speakers at the event, led by the PANDEF leader, Chief Edwin Clark, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo and a chieftain of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, while commending Dickson for hosting the rally, said they were ready to rescue Nigeria from collapse, stressing that nothing short of restructuring of Nigeria was acceptable.

Clark reaffirmed that the agitation for restructuring has come to stay and that the Niger Delta region would continuously be at the forefront of the struggle until it is realised.

Adebanjo accused President Buhari of aiding and abetting the Fulani herdsmen in the ongoing killing spree in the Middle Belt and other parts of the country.

He queried the circumstances surrounding the death of many innocent Nigerians and wondered why the Presidency did not preempt or stop such barbaric act even when it had the means to do so.

  Nwodo recounted how he lived in most parts of the country peacefully with other ethnic nationalities without rancour or fear, noting that, that was no longer the experience today.

He said it behooves on them to bequeath a better Nigeria to the children, hence the call for restructuring.