Good morning readers. We are here again at the National Judicial Institute, venue of the National Conference. As promised, we are here to bring you updates on what happens right inside the hallowed chamber.
16.37
The Deputy Chairman of the Conference, Bolaji Akinyemi is moderating the debate on the president’s speech.
16.37
The session resumes from lunch break, begins discussion on the president’s March 17 inauguration address.
It is going to be in alphabetical order and each delegate has only 3 minutes to discuss the president’s speech. The first delegate, Garba Abari is the first to speak.
The session resumes from lunch break, begins discussion on the president’s March 17 inauguration address.
It is going to be in alphabetical order and each delegate has only 3 minutes to discuss the president’s speech. The first delegate, Garba Abari is the first to speak.
16.36
Welcome Back!
Welcome Back!
13.58
Lunch Break.
The Conference has gone for lunch break. Thank you for your time.
Lunch Break.
The Conference has gone for lunch break. Thank you for your time.
13.56
Aisha Aliu suggested that the President’s inaugural address be debated after lunch break.
The Chairman has already put the question and the Conference stands adjourned for lunch at 2.26pm
Aisha Aliu suggested that the President’s inaugural address be debated after lunch break.
The Chairman has already put the question and the Conference stands adjourned for lunch at 2.26pm
13.52
Ammuna Lawan argued that since all the committees will be meeting simultaneously, it therefore means that each member will be stuck with one committee even when delegates are expected to belong to three committees.
The Chairman explained that members should select committees in order of preference and be ready to submit papers to the two committees they may not be able to attend physically.
Jibril Aminu said the level of patriotism in the country was low, adding that patriotism should be given a wider context and treated properly in the Conference. He said if Nigerians were a little more patriotic, corruption would not have been at the level it is.
Joe Okey Odumakin suggested that the plenary hall could be used by three different committees instead of going outside the venue to hire halls.
13.32
Already, 20 standing committees have been approved by the Conference, according to the Chairman, Kutigi.
Charles Edosomwan said the Judiciary is not given adequate attention.
He said it seems that the National Judicial Councils tend to usurp the powers of the Governors in the appointment of state judges. He argued that such issues should be brought into the purview of the Conference.
He argued that the NJC is an executive body and should not be found to usurp the powers given to the governors under the Constitution.
13.30
Each member is expected to belong to three different committees.
The committee membership form is being circulated round the hall. Joe Ejiro asked whether the merger of committees would not affect the number of committees each member would belong. The Chairman said the secretariat would work out the composition of the committees to include all the members.
Each member is expected to belong to three different committees.
The committee membership form is being circulated round the hall. Joe Ejiro asked whether the merger of committees would not affect the number of committees each member would belong. The Chairman said the secretariat would work out the composition of the committees to include all the members.
13.24
Remi Kuku moved the motion for the adoption of the Conference Grouping arrangement and was seconded by Kashim Mohammed.
The question has been put and the group structure adopted.
13.23
Musa Adede suggested that many youths should be included in most of the committees, since they will benefit from the efforts of the Conference and would also contribute to building a great country.
Musa Adede suggested that many youths should be included in most of the committees, since they will benefit from the efforts of the Conference and would also contribute to building a great country.
13.22
Olawale Okuniyi called for the management of the Conference information. He argued that the elders’ statesmen and traditional rulers could be merged; the political parties could be merged, as well as Women groups for effective coordination.
Robert Audu thanked God for giving the delegates good conduct and commended the Chairman for the way he is handling debate on the floor of the Conference.
Sheila Abiye said that market women should not be included only in the social welfare committee but in every committee set up by the Conference. She argued that market women are affected by everything that goes on in the country. She added that women were involved in agriculture, transport, health and economy, adding that there was need for them to be accommodated.
13.19
Akinyemi said some of the groups have already told the leadership who their group leaders are but said there was need for all the groups to send the names of their leaders to the leadership.
Akinyemi said some of the groups have already told the leadership who their group leaders are but said there was need for all the groups to send the names of their leaders to the leadership.
13.17
The Conference has moved on to discuss Group Classification.
Kutigi said the classification is meant to help the leadership have contact with the delegates. He said 97 different groups were handed to the leadership from the Government. He said the leadership will be able to identify the various group leaders and pass on vital information to all the delegates.
The Conference has moved on to discuss Group Classification.
Kutigi said the classification is meant to help the leadership have contact with the delegates. He said 97 different groups were handed to the leadership from the Government. He said the leadership will be able to identify the various group leaders and pass on vital information to all the delegates.
13.14
Otu Orok Duke moved a motion for the adoption of the amended list of committees to address the suggestions of members. The motion was seconded by Asibi Asani.
Otu Orok Duke moved a motion for the adoption of the amended list of committees to address the suggestions of members. The motion was seconded by Asibi Asani.
13.13
Atedo Peterside said he humbly submitted that one of the biggest problems of the country is that of indigineship, settlers and landowners. He said that residency; settlers and indegineship should be seriously considered, noting that he is a tax-paying Lagosian with children who belong to more than one tribe having married from Yoruba.
Atedo Peterside said he humbly submitted that one of the biggest problems of the country is that of indigineship, settlers and landowners. He said that residency; settlers and indegineship should be seriously considered, noting that he is a tax-paying Lagosian with children who belong to more than one tribe having married from Yoruba.
13.10
Peter Izon said that part of the crisis of economic management is that Nigeria has no direct economic philosophy.
We must capture the necessary linkages to attain development.
We must not necessarily need to increase the number of committees but we can restructure the committees to address very important economic issues. He argued that with their hands up, people are not being recognised.
He said that they should be a way of knowing and recognizing people instead of allowing people to raise their hands ceaselessly without being acknowledged.
12.52
Mike Ozekhome said the media is so critical for national development, and should not be hidden under any committee. He said Section 22 of the Constitution, empowers the media to hold the government accountable to the people of Nigeria. Such a critical sector should not be subsumed in science and technology.
With due respect, I would submit that the media segment be brought in line with committee 11.
He also argued that Immigrations should be merged with others under the national security.
12.50
Iyorcha Ayu argued that there was no need to create a separate committee on immigrations but suggested that it should be placed under the National Security Committee.
12.49
National Conference Adopt 70 percent vote
As exclusively reported by PREMIUM TIMES yesterday, the National Conference has adopted 70 percent vote for arriving at decisions.
12.48
Buknor Akerele said the committee on governance has provision on minority rights but argued that the issues of women have not been properly captured. She called for the merger of some of the committees to make them address important issues that would help the country.
Buknor Akerele said the committee on governance has provision on minority rights but argued that the issues of women have not been properly captured. She called for the merger of some of the committees to make them address important issues that would help the country.
12.47
Fatima Adamu from Kebi State said education and health should be separated from social welfare and made to belong to human development.
She said Nigeria has no national value and agenda, and argued that the Conference should adopt a national agenda and national value.
Fatima Adamu from Kebi State said education and health should be separated from social welfare and made to belong to human development.
She said Nigeria has no national value and agenda, and argued that the Conference should adopt a national agenda and national value.
12.41
Ebelle Okeke referred to committee on
agriculture and asked that water resources should be made a separate issue
instead of dumping it with agriculture.
She explained that water resources should be
developed to bring immense benefit to the country. She called for the setting
up a water resources committee be constituted.
12.38
Modibo Kawo said the choices the country has
made since Independence has ruined the economy. He said the country has wiped
off million of textiles jobs. He said since 1999, Nigeria has been selling
national assets to government cronies. “We should interrogate the choices we
make in this country.”
12.37
Aisha Ismail pointed
out that most important issues bedeviling the country have not been given due
attention. He said corruption has killed everything in the country. We have a
collapsed agriculture, collapsed housing sector, collapsed health sector. I
think that corruption should be made an item and not just dumped into some
other issues.
Isaac Olale argued
that there was no inter agency collaboration among security agencies in the
country and urged that such issues be given serious consideration by the
Conference.
12.31
Prof Gambo Laraba said that education has not
been well covered in the Conference, saying that education will determine the
success of the country.
He went further to say that the government
should take serious responsibility of the educational sector.
He argued that the privatisation of education
is not doing the country any good. By the time we wake up, we will realize that
Nigeria has missed the point. She argued that education is the wealth of the 21st century and asked that the education in the country should be
demand-driven and not the way it has been allowed to go.
12.29
A delegate observed that the problem of the
country was more of economic, adding that such items have not be properly
handled in the draft work plan.
He also said Nigeria does not have a common
national ideology and governance philosophy that would promote the empowerment
of the people. He suggested that the committees should be merged and reduced to
about 15.
He argued that the issues of illegal mining
should not be seen as environmental issue but as resource theft just like oil
theft. He said he has already submitted a position paper to the leadership on
the proposed amendments to be made.
12.26
Ezenwa Nwogu argued
that the Conference should not be seen as a workshop and suggested that
delegates who have things to add to the work plan should do so in order to make
the Conference achieve better result.
The Chairman told a
delegate who tried to cause an uproar that he has the power to order him out.
Kutigi, however, warned him to desist from causing trouble on the floor but
noted that he would not use his maximum power on the delegate.
Motions for the adoption of the amended work
plan have been moved and seconded.
12.20
Tunde Bakare said the Conference is full of mutual suspicion based on regional and religious leanings. Nigerians are expecting something different from this Conference. We are not a parallel government. All the work plan that are here Sir, we are almost going to have committees on this and that as if they are no institution to do these things. He said Atiku Abubakar has written on the back page of Thisday Newspaper and incorporate that in the work plan. He said the draft work plan as drafted, adding that Nigeria has not been able to operate as a true federation long after it adopted the system of government.
12.08
Sergeant Awuse suggested that the list of proposed committees and the work plan be handed back to the leadership to fine-tune some of the areas delegates raised complaints and bring back the document during the next sitting.
Femi Falana argued that Conference must move speedily, and suggested that the work plan be taken back while delegates send their observations to the secretariat. He said the Conference should move to discuss the President’s speech.
A member shouted from the extreme right, “You can’t move. You can’t move. You can’t move.”
12.07
Senator Ahmed Mohammed from Kaduna also called for a revisit of the draft work plan in order to come out with a clean and workable document. He also pointed out that the Conference Rules should not have been adopted without clean copies being circulated to members.
12.04
ABC Nwosu argued that most of the committees proposed by the leadership are not in alignment with President Goodluck Jonathan blueprint as embodied in his inaugural address. He called for the realignment of the committees to reflect the intendment of the President.
12.01
Secretary announced that the government has agreed to rent ten additional halls outside the Conference venue to accommodate the committee sitting during the three weeks they will be meeting.
The Conference is still discussing the draft work plan and observations raised to address some of the issues delegates feel so strongly about.
11.49
Obiora Ike said having considered the work plan but thanked those who prepared it. He said the Conference was already behind schedule and urged the leadership to ensure that the leadership of the working committees was ready to be announced on the next sitting. He also observed that the work plan should make room for the public holidays since some of the days slated for sittings are public holidays. National Chairman of the Labour Party was the first to draw Conference’s attention to the matter.
11.31
Delegate Aledu Ibrahim moved that the Conference Procedure Rules as amended be adopted and was supported by Ambassador Adamu. The Chairman has just put the question and the Rules have been adopted on a voice vote.
The Conference is moving on to adopt its draft Work Plan.
11.19
Currently, the Conference is about to move a motion for the adoption of its Rules of Procedure.
10.59
Nike Akande moved a motion for the adoption of the proceedings of 25th March and it was supported by Prof. Ivara Esi from Cross River State.
The Conference has started the process of adopting the proceedings of its sitting on March 26.
10.57
A delegate has just made a correction on a mistake that was earlier corrected and delegates laughed at her. The Chairman, Idris Kutigi told the female delegate, “It shows you are not with us.” She sat down with a sigh.
10.52
The observations made are basically grammatical but a lot of members are asking that the business of the day should commence in earnest having spent two weeks already without making meaningful progress.
10.52
Inside the chamber, nearly all the seats have been filled by delegates and the day’s proceedings started barely 20 minutes ago.
Currently, the Conference is adopting the Proceedings of its previous sittings.
10.45
Movement into the Conference venue is smooth and the security operatives are friendlier than they were last week. There is very little traffic build-up by the major road leading to the venue. This is because the security operatives are doing a good job and managing incoming and outgoing traffic.
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