A WASTED NATIONAL CONFERENCE

I could remember when I heard that the president was going to organize a national dialogue to hear the views of Nigerians I said to myself this might just be a good move. Many Nigerians expressed their views concerning the proposed national conference, some were of the view that it wasn’t the right time for Nigeria to have a national dialogue and some said it was a welcome development as it will enhance the development of the country.

Against all odds I was able to watch about seventy five percent of all the proceedings and to be honest the issues that were raised were serious issues that was facing our country. While watching the confab I was very impress and very hopefully that if the issues being raise were to be address Nigerians will have a reason to smile. During the confab I saw unity and understanding between our people and for the first time I witnessed a proceeding where personal issues where kept aside as national issues were the main focus of the delegates. The confab had it own ups and down too like the amount that was paid to each delegates and the fact that some tribe or should I say some constituency were not duly represented not forgetting the deaths of some delegates but all in all it was a good dialogue.

Just like most of the good policies in Nigeria the report of the national conference has now been swept under the carpet just like some people had predicted. It a year after the conference and no action has been taken towards implementing the reports of the national conference instead the report is laying somewhere inside the president office probably covered with dust who knows. My bitterness is this why waste all that resource, time and money when the president knew he wasn’t going to do anything with the report. Not addressing the report of the national conference is a slap on the face of Nigerians that followed the conference, those that believed in the outcome of the conference and also the delegate most especially those that died during the course of the conference. To me I think the president has successfully wasted our money on a dialogue that he had no interest in or should I say the president tricked us into believing that he had the interest of Nigerians in mind when he was organizing the national conference but it is now glaring that the president doesn’t really have the interest of Nigerians in mind since he has refuse to address at least one of the issue raise at the confab since. Just like Pastor Tunde Bakare (one of the delegates at the conference) said of recent that the president should immediately implement the report of the national conference, I also believe that report of the national conference should be addressed. In an interview where he (Pastor Bakare) was talking about the election he said some certain areas of the report that should have been addressed even before the election are those areas which included “conducting accurate census; establishment of a truly independent electoral body and creation of a true people constitution that will reflect the aforementioned features” and this I very much I agree with. You might want to argue that the president is probably waiting for the right time but let all be honest when would it be the right time for a report of that magnitude and significant be addressed. The conference ended in August 2014 and this is January 2015 which happens to be all about election and like we know that once it is election period nothing is more important than who will retain power. So someone should please tell me when exactly Mr. President intends to address the report of the national conference where a lot of money and resource went into. I think Nigerians would just have to wait till only God knows when before the implementation of the reports would take place.

It will be a wasted national conference and a waste of the country’s money and resource if at the end of the day none of the issues penned down in the report of the national conference are addressed or implemented.