National conference should end 2014 — ACF

The umbrella body of northern Nigeria, Arewa Consultative Forum, has backed President Goodluck Jonathan’s scheduling of the proposed national conference for early 2014.

It, however, urged the Federal Government to ensure the conclusion of the exercise by June 2014 to pave the way for the 2015 general elections.

The forum said it was part of its recommendation to Senator Femi Okuruoumu-led Presidential Advisory Committee on the National Dialogue, which was saddled with the responsibility of designing a framework for the conference, that the exercise should be concluded by then.

While receiving the 4,000-page report of the committee from Okurounmu, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said the national conference would hold early next year.

The President added that he had   already  directed the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to make adequate financial provisions for the smooth take-off of the conference.

On Friday, the National Publicity Secretary, ACF, Anthony Sani, told our correspondent that the forum suggested to the committe that the conference should be concluded by June.

“Arewa Consultative Forum had given its suggestions to the Presidential Advisory Committee on the National Dialogue/National Conference to the effect that the forum would prefer (that) the conference be inaugurated in January 2014 and its work (should) rounded off up by June 2014 for electioneering to start by July. That was ACF’s advice,” he said.

The ACF, however, noted that it did not have any facts to support the allegation of political motives on the timing of the conference.

Sani said, rather, the forum had made it clear that it did not believe the conference would be the panacea for the nation’s myriad of problems, which had nothing to do with the structure of the country, the form of government and the constitution.

The ACF, however, insisted that it did not support a conference of ethnic nationalities due to divisive nature of ethnic nationalism.

Sani said the national malaise had more to do with the collapse of national ideals, moral values and the collapse of social contract among groups and individuals.

He said, “We in the ACF also thought any national dialogue at a time when mistrust, suspicion and frustrations are very high across the land may be intemperate, and so will not solve the problems.”

The All Progressives Congress, through its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, had alleged ulterior motive when Jonathan inaugurated the committee to advise him on the modalities for a national dialogue.

It also alleged that the suggestion by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, that the President and governors be given two additional years after which a presidential and governorship election should be held was part of the plot.

Mohammed said the alleged tenure extension plan would suffer the same fate as former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s alleged third term ambition.