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The National Conference 2014 was inaugurated on 17th March 2014 at the Auditorium of the National Judicial Institute (NJI) Abuja by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR. The inauguration, which was attended by the 492 Delegates (except a few) signaled the formal beginning of the Conference. In his inaugural Address, the President told the Delegates that they were free to discuss any issue about Nigeria with particular emphasis on finding solutions to the problems of national unity and development. He said that the Conference had no no-go-area although he ruled out any discussion on breaking-up the country. The President emphasized that the Conference should come up with strategies to strengthen rather than weaken Nigeria’s national unity, and enhance a participatory and inclusive democratic system of Government. He urged the Delegates to recognize the need to move the country forward more than the narrow interests that define our fault-lines.
The President charged the Conference to spell out the modalities for the implementation of its recommendations/resolutions. He told the Delegates that they are free to suggest any constitutional arrangement they consider best for Nigeria. The President thanked the National Assembly for introducing the provision for a referendum in the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution, and declared that the amendment should be relevant to the National Conference if the need for a referendum arises at the end of deliberations.
In the course of plenary debates on the President’s Inaugural Address, Delegates were sharply divided on modalities for actualizing a constitutional amendment. While some Delegates posited that amendments to the Constitution are sufficient on their own; others contended that amendments embedded in the 1999 Constitution would make it a new one. Another group of Delegates insisted that a new provision in the Constitution would necessitate a referendum. Conference could not therefore reach a decision on the matter at the time of putting this report together.
While urging the Delegates to conduct their deliberations in the best patriotic spirit, he informed them that, Government had accepted the recommendations of the Okurounmu Advisory Committee on National Dialogue that decisions at the Conference should be reached by Consensus. Where consensus is not possible after many attempts, the President said decisions should be reached by seventy-five per cent (75%) majority. He informed the Delegates that Government had designed this process of decision-making for the National Conference in order to ensure inclusive and popular resolutions that can help in strengthening the bond of unity among Nigerians. The President gave the Conference 3 months deadline within which to conclude its deliberations and submit a Report to Government.
A few weeks back, the bulky report was submitted to President Jonathan Goodluck and the recommendations were far reaching. It included the following:
REVENUE SHARING
The Conference decided as follows: That the sharing of the funds accruing to the Federation Account among the 3 tiers of government, should be done in the following manner: i. Federal Government- 42.5% ii. State Governments- 35% iii. Local Governments- 22.5%. To replace the existing formulae of: i. Federal Government-52.68% ii. State Governments-26.72% iii. Local Governments-20.60%
Conference agreed that Local Government Areas should be stripped of their status as the 3rd tier of public administration. However, Conference did not make any specific decision to delete LGAs from the sharing formula.
ON RESOURCE CONTROL
Having critically examined the issues in contention, the Conference recognizes the need to: 1 Review the percentage of revenue allocation to States producing oil (and other resources); 2. Reconstruct and rehabilitate areas affected by problems of insurgency and internal conflicts.
ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
Conference decided that: i. “The State at all levels shall put in place 35% affirmative action to ensure that women, minorities, people with disabilities and other marginalized groups participate and are represented in governance and other spheres of life”; ii. “The affirmative action policy herein provided shall be a temporary measure to operate for not less than 10 years after which it shall be assessed to determine its continuance”; iii. Section 147: to include “No gender shall occupy less than 35% of the positions to be filled”
ON POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF THE WOMEN
The Conference decided that: i. There should be equality in the sharing of political offices on the basis of quota system between competing candidates. This will enable both men and women have equal chances of control in such public offices;
ii. The Federal Government should make it mandatory that certain public offices be allotted to women on equal basis. This will dissolve any form of discrimination against women; iii. Money politics should be discouraged in Nigeria while women who want to take active part in politics be encouraged to do so without any fear or favor; iv. The doctrine of Affirmative Action should be strengthened so that they could have considerable impacts on the political landscape of Nigeria thereby curtailing any form of discrimination against women;There should be structures put in place such as the legal funds. These structures will enable women politicians challenge any.
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