By Carl Umegboro
THE Honourable Justice Idris Kutigi
led-National Dialogue Conference masterminded by the erstwhile administration
of Goodluck Jonathan and inaugurated on Monday 17 March, 2014 was concluded amidst
high hopes from all quarters despite the huge amounts lavishly allocated to the
scheme. Most people overlooked the gigantic
financial implications on account of salient issues the conference resolutely earmarked
to determine. Expectedly, critical long-standing issues particularly sociopolitical
and ethno-religious problems raised triggered torrid disagreements albeit afterward
determined. Overall, 492 delegates auspiciously selected across the nation congregated
in the seat of power to untangle the hitherto no-go areas in the system. Ridiculously,
every ethnic group represented cried in turn over the same object;
marginalization, perhaps, to synchronically espouse the phrase that attack is
the best defensive game. Nonetheless, the confab provided opportunity at least to
discuss as neighboring communities, but economically a faux pas.
Plainly, the multitude of delegates
lacked requisite legitimacy to embark on such exercise since the duty is restrictedly
vested in the elected lawmakers, thus, tantamount to usurpation of powers but
sadly, participants were contentedly shortsighted with making resolutions and
overlooked its implementation vis-à-vis the legal regime. For instance, section
4(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria unambiguously provides, “the
legislative powers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be vested in a
National Assembly for the federation, which shall consist of a senate and House
of Representatives”. In addition, it critically outlined the legislative procedures
for making laws, and so stringent that any actions even by the legislators inconsistent
with the laid down procedures for making laws is invalid. In reality, the hugely-spent
confab was a jokey, deliberate waste or rather political gizmo for the 2015
presidential elections calling to mind that the assembled delegates judiciously
worked throughout and alongside for the election, and indirectly co-opted into
the Goodluck Jonathan presidential election campaign team.
Patriotically, the coherent action any
sincere government would judiciously take in overall interest of the nation
remains to press strongly for legislative passage of the earlier Hon. Justice
Mohammed Lawal Uwais led-22-man Electoral Reform report of 2008 altruistically
spearheaded by late ex-President, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua instead of a toothless
national confab. To abandon the astute electoral reform recommendations which has
the capacity of correcting the nation’s weak foundation and ipso facto fix the right people in
leadership positions remains the greatest injustice to the country. As unflinchingly
claimed, the national confab gulped N9billion ‘only’ from the treasury. Truly,
such a costly drama with no legitimacy and distinct from a sovereign national conference
was supposed to be orchestrated under a tree akin to ‘Tales by Moonlight’ knowing
it to be a mere talk-shows with nothing coming from it. Most likely, late ex-President
Umaru Yar’Adua’s spirit may not be resting perfectly in peace in the tomb over the
political murder of his electoral reform that is the easiest way out of
Nigeria’s gargantuan problems.
Without mincing words, the moment the
right people are elected into public offices, robotically, the enormous crises
will recede since only credible people can scale through in elections; then, issues
as canvassed in the confab would sequentially follow with legitimacy rather
than the kangaroo gatherings. Thus, a well-structured electoral system remains
the sine qua non to urgent national
revolution. Until such a brilliant report is implemented, the helpless masses
will continue to watch the usual home-movies in government particularly in the
legislative arm knowing that no president irrespective of political-will can do
much in the midst of a pathetic, unskilled and narcissistic extra-large legislature.
The burden now shifts to President Muhammadu Buhari to expeditiously revisit the
Justice Lawal Uwais-led Electoral Reform recommendations in view of implementation
as a distinctive way to ending the regular masquerades’ dances in government
quarters.
Regrettably, most of the confab delegates
believably knew that such usurpation of powers through handpicking of delegates
devoid of any legal criteria would amount to nullity. Even while the confab lasted;
the legislature explicitly distanced itself from the exercise. Still, the delegates
never considered it imperative to strategize on how to push forward its resolutions
either by mobilizing the people to mandate their elected representatives or lobby
by themselves, instead, were fulfilled by mere participation and concomitant
packages, and then hullabaloo for implementation in the media. In a developed
nation, the delegates and their paymasters ought to refund all the public funds
lavished on the futile exercise with no legitimate directions.
For emphasis, federal laws are, in a democracy
made through prescribed processes by the National Assembly except delegated
legislations by statutory bodies. Under no circumstances can a body not
recognized in law like the confab make valid laws for the federation.
Unfortunately, the participants hailed the exercise and tagged it a success
despite its fundamental drift from legislative processes. Eventually, after the
presidential election alongside inauguration, it dawned on the people that the
confab was a premeditated political plot as the government had no legal capacity
to implement it, not even political-will to push it for legislative process in
sync with the constitution.
The bitter truth is that under
democratic arrangement, the executive cannot implement such confab report
except to sponsor it as executive bills which will still be at the mercy of the
egotistical lawmakers. Furthermore, the keenly participated delegates should enthrallingly
take it as accompanied duty to sponsor them as bills. It is not enough to
gather, fight for respective ethnic groups, shout at each others, show muscles and
finally share public funds without constituting machinery for presenting the
recommendations for legislative processes accordingly. To accord the exercise a
success by mere deliberations with litany of resolutions is the height of
absurdities and narrow-mindedness as the executive statutorily lacks powers to
implement it without due passage by the National Assembly.
Umegboro is a public affairs analyst and publisher (07057101974 sms only)
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