BEING THE MISSION STATEMENT OF THE NATINAL POLITICAL
CONSULTATION CONVENED BY CAG/CRDM UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CHIEF ANTHONY
ENAHORO, CFR IN LAGOS , ON 7 OCTOBER 2008.
By Olawale Okuniyi
Chair, organizing Committee, National Consultative
Meeting 7th October 2008
“The Nigerian state has been embroiled
in a very deep crisis of democracy and federalism which continues to threaten
its stability and unity. This crisis has contributed immensely to official
corruption and its arrangement developmental and economic woes. To this extent,
the Nigerian national question rather get ameliorated has further exacerbated
almost beyond redress despite the reality of civil rule in Nigeria.
At the moment, the consolidation of Nigerian
democracy is presently being impeded by lack of concrete consensus and
participatory process that can guarantee popular mandate for democratic
governance. This, precisely, is the crux of the limitation that has so far
hindered the emergence of a popular national roadmap to stability and
development.
There has also been a recycle of a
leadership cadre that exploits divisions amongst the people as well as
conflicts within and across ethnic divide. The consequence is that Nigeria has
lost so much in terms of human and material resources, with a very faint hope
of having the situation redressed, except the people themselves take the
ownership of national consultation and negotiation.
Therefore has also been a recycle of a
leadership cadre that exploits divisions amongst the people as well as
conflicts within and cross ethnic divide. The consequence is that Nigeria has a
lost so much in terms of human and materials resources, with a very faint hope
of having the situation redressed, except the people themselves take the
ownership of a national consultation and negotiation.
Therefore in a renewed bid to resolve
these national questions, the Citizens Advocacy Group, CAG in collaboration with
other Nigeria Civil Society networks/organizations with track records of
advocating the constitutional interest of the Nigerian stakeholders, is
organizing this national Consultative Forum to connect stakeholders firm up
positions on the proposed review of the Nigeria constitution and the planning
of National Political Summit coming up later in the year.
However, both Government and the
Nigerian Civil Society organizations have attempted different (vertical and
horizontal) initiatives since 1999 to date review the Constitution. The ‘Third
Term Agenda of former president Olusegun
Obansajo was latter to become the albatross that aborted the National Political
Reform Conference initiated in this regard by government.
Meanwhile, the alternative process of
the Nigerian stakeholders simultaneously anchored by PRONACO produced a draft
constitution in August 2006 through the instrumentality of a 29 points
resolution of the Peoples’ National conference chaired by Elders statesman Tony
Enahoro, CFR. The provisions of the draft peoples’ constitution is yet be
legally entrenched in the Nigerian constitution.
Patriot Adebukanla Jamiu Kolawole
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