National Conference report will not be wasted, Jonathan assures Nigerians

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday assured Nigerians that his administration would implement the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference, saying its report and delegates’ efforts would not be wasted.
Jonathan said at the ceremony to mark the submission of the National Conference Report in Abuja that government’s executive arm would immediately act on those aspects required of it.
He also said the other aspects of the recommendations would be sent to the Council of State and the National Assembly for incorporation into the country’s Constitution.
“ We shall send the relevant aspects of your recommendations to the Council of State and the National Assembly for incorporation into the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“On our part, we shall act on those aspects required of us in the executive. Let me reaffirm this: Nobody has a monopoly of knowledge.


“We who are in government need to feed from the thoughts of those who elected us into power. You have done your patriotic duty. We the elected must now do ours.
“As I receive the report of your painstaking deliberations, let me assure that your work is not going to be a waste of time and resources.
“We shall do all we can to ensure the implementation of your recommendations, which have come out of consensus and not by divisions.
“In this regard, I appeal to all arms of government and the people of Nigeria to be ready to play the different roles the volumes of reports produced would assign to them.
“It is my hope that with what the delegates have done, our country is on the right road to getting the job of nation-building done,’’ the President said.
Jonathan expressed satisfaction that the successful completion of the task given to the conference had proved cynics and pessimists wrong and vindicated his stand on the convocation of the conference.
He commended the conference leadership and delegates for the matured manner in which they managed contentious issues which were capable of truncating the conference.
“I am very satisfied that the delegates navigated these obstacles in a very mature manner.
“There were those who set out to input ulterior motives to our modest efforts at reshaping and strengthening the foundations of our nationhood to deliver better political cohesion and greater development agenda.
“The naysayers raised false alarms over some phantom hidden agenda and called to question our sincerity and did everything possible to derail this noble project.
“The success of this conference has proved the cynics wrong in many respects.
“Those who dismissed the entire conference ab initio as a `diversion’ have been proved wrong, as what you achieved has, contrary to their forecast, diverted our country only from the wrong road to the right direction.
“They said the conference would end in a deadlock as Nigeria had reached a point where the constituent parts could no longer agree on any issue.
“We exploded that myth by suggesting that you should arrive at your decisions by consensus or 75 per cent majority threshold.
“That was the first challenge you had at this conference when it appeared you were going to break up,” Jonathan said.
The President said he refused to interfere in the decisions of the conference even when he was expected to, just to prove and maintain his neutrality.
He said he gave the conference the free hand to operate and did not interfere at any point in its five-month deliberations.
“There were suggestions that we should intervene as government to `save’ the conference at that dicey moment.
“But I insisted that, beyond the inauguration, we were not going to intrude into the conference in any manner. We kept our promise.
“One of the many reasons for our non-interference is because we have at the conference 492 delegates and six conference officials who all in their individual rights are qualified to lead our great country.
“And if they were unable to agree on how to take decisions, we will be in real trouble.
“Acknowledging the quality and patriotic content of the delegates, I was confident, the right thing will be done,” Jonathan said.
He thanked delegates for the painstaking efforts they put into the national assignment and for putting the national interest above any other interests.
Jonathan said the essence of convoking the conference was fully achieved as delegates were able to ventilate their grievances and came to amicable consensus at the end of the day.


“To my mind, one of the main reasons for which the conference was convoked was fully achieved. That is, to create a platform for a genuine and sincere dialogue among Nigerians.
“Even in moments when things seemed ready to boil over, it was evident that the delegates were only disagreeing to agree.
“It is now very clear that as Nigerians, we have devised a way of addressing and resolving our differences amicably: we dialogue and dialogue until we agree!”
The President commended the Femi Okunrounmu Presidential Advisory Committee which midwived the conference.
He also paid tribute to delegates who died in the course of the national assignment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jonathan was accompanied to the ceremony by Vice-President Namadi Sambo and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.
Also with him were the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim.
The 492-delegate conference, which was inaugurated by Jonathan on March 17, was initially given three months to complete the assignment but the period was subsequently extended by four weeks.
It had also spent one month on preparation for the conference procedure and compilation of the report.

Source: Dailyindepence