Weeks after the conclusion of the National Conference, one of the delegates from the South West and National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Otunba Gani Adams has expressed confidence that the various recommendations submitted by the delegates will translate to Nigeria’ s greatness, adding that though, there are few issues that had remained problematic in Nigeria’s history, there are always solutions to all problems.
Adams, who spoke with KEHINDE ADEREMI, hinged his arguments on the success recorded by the delegates at the conference in resolving contentious issues that have remained unsolvable in Nigeria for a very long time. Excerpts:
Are you satisfied with the recommendations and outcome of the National Conference that ended just few weeks ago?
Well, as far as I’ m concerned, I’ m highly satisfied. If not, I would have expressed my dissatisfaction openly to Nigerians. One thing is certain, in a conference like this, you cannot get everything that you had really wanted, but in a situation that you were in a conference and you demanded, for instance, 10 things and you got 7 or 8, then that is okay by me. So, that was the reality of the situation at the just concluded National Conference. Don’ t forget, all the delegates came from different states, with different backgrounds, therefore, we must consider others too. For me, the National Conference offered great opportunities for people to rub minds on various issues that have remained sacrosanct to the unity of this country as a whole. So, it was a gathering for serious intellectual discourse, capacity building and it really brought out the best ideas, recommendations and solutions that we can think of presently. I’m satisfied and I believe the conference’s recommendations will definitely translate Nigeria to greatness, if they are sincerely implemented by those concerned.
Some of the issues raised at the National Conference later became contentious. For instance, issues of state police, security, federation among the states and resource control. So, what do you have to say about all these issues?
Issue of state police had been resolved at the conference in our recommendations. Even, issues relating to the 36 states were also resolved. All these issues have been resolved. We agreed also that in every of the six geo-political zones can federate. That is, there could be economic cooperation or integration among the zones. And, more importantly, the issue of state police vis-a-vis security had been resolved. The only issue that created the initial difference among the delegates then was the sharing formula among the three tiers of government that was being reduced to two. What this really means is that, the local governments will remain, but it will be the business of the states to finance them and that is all. We also agreed that the states have the power to create more local governments, based on their capacities. So, those issues were resolved amicably. Besides, on the security issue, we thought the most important thing was to secure the lives and property of the people who are citizens of each state. At present, security has remained the greatest challenge to us as a nation, therefore, it is very important to ensure there is adequate security of lives and property of the people and that is where the issue of state police becomes relevant.
But there are feelings in some quarters that some delegates at the conference deliberately brought to the fore the issue of resource control in order to break Nigeria up. What is your take on this?
I don’t believe that. Issues relating to resource control were sincerely negotiated by all zones. As far as I am concerned, life itself is all about negotiation. Though, the issue of resource control was keenly negotiated among the zones and all the stakeholders in the country, who later formed the negotiating committee. That was the reason some people thought the issue might degenerate into crisis and eventually break up the country. But from what was put on the table at the conference, there was a sincere negotiation that brought an end to the looming crisis insinuated by some people. Even, those arguments and differences that transpired at the national conference were not unexpected. In life, what remains primary to me, may not be all that to you. So, it is understandable that certain issues raised at the national conference may be contentious, but in the end, the important thing is that all issues raised were extensively discussed at the conference and recommendations were also made.
What impact do you think the recommendations made at the National Conference would have on the entire nation, even as 2015 election is just a few months away?
Those recommendations would definitely have positive impact on our national life. For instance, the 497 delegates that attended the conference raised more than 600 issues. And we had 20 committees specifically, but out of the 20 committees, 19 did their recommendations without voting. So, at the National Conference, we resolved all the issues raised through negotiation. This was the give-and-take principle. It was only two issues that were referred to the President. So, I believe we have done well based on our recommendations on all the issues raised at the conference and they would have positive impact on the nation as a whole. Initially, we thought we wouldn’t agree on consensus. We thought most of the issues would be resolved based on voting, and that to me, would definitely have made the whole process volatile during the plenary. But as the conference progressed, we were surprised that most of the issues we raised and supported in the South West, most of the delegates in the North also supported. The only issue that brought about sharp differences was the sharing of the common wealth. That was where we all had our different sentiments. Even, there was no problem about the Nigerian structure, and initially, we thought that alone would create more problem. But the truth about the National Conference was that, among all the lingering issues, we still had a common interest and that’s about the unity of Nigeria as a nation. So, the recommendations submitted by the conference touched all aspects of our national life, that’s, we were able to achieve what we achieved at the national conference through negotiation and that was the secret of the success recorded so far at the national conference.

Confab recommendations can transform Nigeria if… – Gani Adams