The fact that the National Conference did not assign percentages to the issues in contention is irrelevant to whether a decision was taken. The popularity or otherwise of the decision is for the Nigerian people to judge.
The problem of the National Conference is that some of the ardent critics have not bothered to read the Reports of the various Committees of the Conference. Some have stoutly refused to follow the debates. Some are fixated at the antecedents of some of the individuals at the Conference.
I agree that the National Conference has its own challenges. I agree that the National Conference is devoid of a legal framework and is therefore, an advisory body. I agree that the National Conference is ,not an elected body and should not be put on the same pedestal with the National Assembly. I agree that some of the individuals at the National Conference have tired ideas and are part of the challenges of the Nigerian federation. I agree that some of delegates at the National Conference should be in jail rather than at the National Conference.
However, some of the interlocutors of the National Conference are not charitable. Some canvassed for a Sovereign National Conference but accepted their nomination to a non sovereign National Conference. It is therefore, honorable to accept the limitations of the present National Conference as a non sovereign conference with limited powers.
But I understand the cynicism that attended the convocation of the National Conference and some of the challenges it is facing. Before the convocation of the present National Conference, Nigeria had a National Constitutional Conference between 1994/1995. In 2005 Nigeria had a National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) and in July 2003 the President set up the Presidential Committee on Review of Outstanding Issues from Recent Constitutional Conferences. Different tendencies and platforms within civil society and professional groups have canvassed for a variegated variety of a National Conference. Some canvassed for a Constitutional Conference, Sovereign National Conference, Ethnic Nationalities Conference, Political Conference, National Reform Conference, National Rebirth Conference and National Conference
Unfortunately, the different varieties of the National Conference held did not satisfy the yearnings of the Nigerian people. Some literarily collapsed on account of the crisis of representation. Some collapsed on account of a hidden agenda or a smuggled document or the perception that the conveners cannot be trusted with such an assignment. Others suffered credibility deficit on grounds that governments do not and have never taken reports of Panels and Conferences serious and that they all end up in the archives.
With the present National Conference, there are those that believe that the President has an agenda  or a hidden agenda in convening the National Conference. My hunch is that they are right. I can say with certainty that the President has an agenda in setting up the National Conference. It will be foolhardly and irresponsible for a President to assembly 492 of its citizens for over four months to deliberate on issues without an agenda. Whether the President masked the real agenda is for speculators, mind readers and analysts to discern. The issue that baffled me is that some delegates used the platform to be noticed for purposes of being aspirants for various positions. Some used it to position themselves as good persons to be appointed as Ministers
There are those that are convinced that the National Conference has exacerbated the faultiness of the Nigerian State and that Nigerians are more divided now than they were before.  My simple answer is that some of the challenges of the Nigerian federation have been in the closet for too long. And it is important that we talk about them. I know of some people that insisted that Nigeria will collapse if the Report of the Committee on Religion is debated by the National Conference and that the report should be adopted without debate. At the end the Report was one of the least contentious.
However, I see some merit in the position of those that contend that the agenda and terms of reference of the National Conference are too broad. I agree that the Secretariat of the National Conference could have developed a smart agenda that includes issues of Political Restructuring and Forms of Government; Devolution of Power; Political Parties and Electoral Matters; Public Finance and Revenue and Economy, Trade and Investment.
The National Conference has done its own bit. Other structures of government should do their own bit.  I am convinced that Nigeria will no longer be the same if the recommendations of the National Conference are implemented.
The National Conference took a position and took a decision and this is based on  Order X111(3) of the National Conference Procedure Rules 2014 which states that “Should the Final Report lead to the drafting of issues of law and policy, the Conference shall in consultation with the six Principal Officers of the Conference advise the government on the legal framework, legal Procedures and options for integrating the decisions and outcomes of the National Conference into the Constitution and laws of the Country”. At the end, the National Conference resolved that “Having critically examined the issues in contention, the conference recognizes the need to: (a) Review the percentage of revenue allocation to states producing oil and other resources. (b) Reconstruct and rehabilitate areas affected by problems of insurgency and conflict (c) Diversify the Nigerian economy by first tracking the development of the solid minerals sector. “The conference also notes that assigning percentages for the increase in derivation principle and setting up special intervention funds to address issues of reconstruction and rehabilitation of areas affected by insurgency and internal conflict as well as solid mineral development require some technical details and consideration. “The conference therefore recommends that government should set up a technical committee to determine the appropriate percentage on the three issues and advise government appropriately”.  I, therefore, disagree with those that claim that the National Conference did not take a decision on the issues in contention.
•Okoye , a lawyer, was a delegate to the National Conference
concluded.

Has the National Conference failed? (2)