No one in recent times has sought the presidency more doggedly, than Muhammadu Buhari. Now that he has been fourth time lucky, the new President must not lose the momentum of the change he promised Nigerians; who voted more for him than for his party. Even as Nigerians await the new government with great expectation, the President must seize this momentous time in Nigeria’s history, to chart a new vision for the kind of country Nigerians want. The speed and commitment with which he pursues that vision is crucial because any procrastination exposes him to meddlesomeness by vested interest groups driven by motives that may be at variance with the national interest. Buhari should therefore move expeditiously to implement the 2014 National Conference recommendations. The recommendations should be worked into the existing constitution to fashion out a clear, acceptable legal framework that will form the basis for a new Nigeria. This is no time for prevarication or self-interest. Only the national interest should prevail.
Twenty-two volumes of the report with 19 other supporting documents testify to the rigor of the conference, which adopted over 600 resolutions dealing with issues ranging from law, policy and constitutional amendments. In receiving the final conference report, President Goodluck Jonathan had assured Justice Idris Kutigi and his team at the report submission ceremony that “your work is not going to be a waste of time and resources. We shall do all we can to ensure the implementation of your recommendations which have come out by consensus and not by division.” Jonathan is gone but Nigerians must hold Buhari to the words of his predecessor. The new President must not allow the national conference recommendations to suffer the same fate as previous reports.
It is worth emphasizing that a conscientious implementation of the conference recommendations should be the major plank on which Buhari construct’s the new Nigeria of public expectations. Many of such great documents and key decisions by various panels in the past have died on the altar of poor implementation or total lack of attention. Lofty ideas have been generated in the past for Nigeria’s progress, but were consigned into the usual dustbin of history, only to be followed by new panels raised to expend energy on the same work and proffering similar solutions. The country has always run, sadly though, without regard for time as well as human and material resource wastage.
Although no section of the country got all what it wanted, the conference proved that Nigerians have the capacity not only for discussing their differences but finding agreeable solutions to their challenges. But all the disagreements and compromises would only be worthwhile when an improved constitution that holds hope of a brighter future for the people is written therefrom. Unfortunately, the national assembly, a key stakeholder in the implementation of the conference report has been embroiled in a protracted fracas that is turning out to be not just a major distraction, but a national embarrassment to the country. It is not as if a better formula to govern the country has been found. It is not as if a new set of policy framework for socio-economic development has been formulated; neither is it that a roadmap for industrialization has been drawn. It then beats the imagination what the fight for position in the national assembly is apart from power for its sake. In any case, once the civil war in the national assembly is over; and lawmakers get down to the business for which they were elected, the National Assembly should be joined by the Council of State and act on the report, out of which the country expects to witness a national rebirth.
While other core issues of resource control, derivation principle and fiscal federalism proved tough nuts for the delegates to crack, the President must bring the authority of his office to resolve issues like the clamor for more states, the controversial issue of state police, restructuring the federation to reduce the cost of governance, abrogation of the local government as a tier of government, sharing of funds from the Federation Account among others. The conference got an entry into core issues that could, over time, lead to the proper federal structure Nigeria needs. Hence, it would seem that the greatest achievement of the conference was to hold the door ajar for more progress to be made across the country. Buhari must seize the moment and expend some of his political capital in setting the machinery in motion towards instituting a true federal structure in Nigeria.
However, with the craving for referendum appearing a road too tough to take, there are genuine fears that even if the report gets the desired presidential attention, some of the recommendations that seem to give cause for excitement and hope could be torpedoed by vested interests. This is why the President should appreciate the enormity of the task and have his eyes on history and the future of the nation.
As a matter of urgency, Buhari should engage with the APC caucus in the National Assembly to facilitate the passage of the recommendations. Indeed, to demonstrate his seriousness and desire for a new, functional Nigeria, the President should send the recommendations as an executive bill to the National Assembly to pave way for a fresh constitution. As a practical matter, the President should resist the temptation of creating another committee to look into the report, with a view to making further recommendations on its implementation. President Buhari does not have time on his side. He must lead the country to earnestly begin the upward journey to real peace, unity and progress. On this, he must act without delay.
