Northern Leaders Reject Jonathan’s Confab Report; Demand Fresh National Conference

Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan handing over reports of the 2014 National Conference to President Muhammadu Buhari

Prominent Northern leaders, yesterday, rejected the implementation of the 2014 report of the National Conference convoked by former President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that it did not address the key issues affecting them. In its place, the northern leaders are asking President Muhammadu Buhari to convene a fresh conference that would take into cognizance the challenges facing them and proffer solutions to them.

The northern leaders who are mostly former political office holders under the aegis of Northern Reawakening Forum (NRF) and headed by a former member of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Kumalia, said it would be wrong for Buhari to implement the report of the conference called by the former leader.

The group, which met in Abuja, Tuesday, issued a strong view on the last conference, and asked for the dumping of the report in the interest of Nigeria. Kumalia, who read the communiqué on behalf of the NRF, said: “The last conference was convened by the PDP government. You do not expect this government to take hook, line and sinker what was put in place by the last government. It was convoked by the PDP government and unfortunately, the PDP lost election. You do not expect the opposition to accept the resolution of the previous government which has its own objectives which this government is not aware of.”

Vanguard report continues:

Paradoxically, the chairman of the NRF, Kumalia and other members of the forum, participated actively the 2014 National Conference, whose outcome they are now distancing themselves from.

Specifically, they are calling for a new conference that would focus on how to rebuild the North and cater for those who have been displaced by terrorists, who have been attacking the North East for years. “What are the problems in the North East? Has anybody tried to ascertain the problems in the North East? The essence of the national conference is to analyse the extent of damage done to the North East. The working document would be used to rebuild the region. There is no resemblance between the conference we are proposing and the 2014 National Conference. Many things have been destroyed and we need people with experience to discuss how the area will be settled,” he said.

“The North has the highest number of people below US$2.00 a day. 71.5% of the population in the North East live in poverty and more than half are malnourished. A 2013 World Bank Report showed that poverty in 16 out of the 19 Northern states have doubled since 1980. The north has the lowest literacy rate in the country. Lagos is at 92% , Kano 49% and Borno less than 15%. 65% of Northern girls and 53% of boys are not in school compared to only 20% for the Southeast,” Kumalia pointed out in the communiqué.

Meanwhile, Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, said it was not disturbed by the rejection saying it wishes the Northern leaders the best.

Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin said: “Those of us who are pushing for the restructuring of Nigeria were trying to save Nigeria from the terminal crisis. If they think they can sustain Nigeria as it is, on what basis is that? Nobody is begging that Nigeria should be restructured any more, what will restructure Nigeria is already here. We wish them the best and see how all this goes. It does not come as a surprise to us, we are not worried at all.”

However, Chief Godwin Uwazuruike, President of Aka-Ikenga, the Igbo intellectual group, who was a delegate at the national conference poohed poohed the Kumalia group saying they are not speaking for the North but themselves.

His words: ‘’They are not speaking for the North or northern leaders. They are speaking for themselves. At the national conference we had a similar incident where some people came and addressed a press conference.

However, 24 hours later, a lot of delegates from the North-Central and North-West came out to reject the view and restated their agreement with the confab. How can you reject an amicable solution worked out by the confab to address the problems of the country? It is superfluous for anybody to claim to be speaking for the whole North. The majority of the North want the report of the confab implemented.’’

On his part, National President of the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima described the action as deceitful.

Shettima said: “They (northern leaders) must take responsibility because in the first place, some of us were against the conference. Why did they participate in the conference when they know they will reject the recommendations of the report? They cannot attend the conference at the expense of taxpayers and thereafter distance themselves from the conference? I see that as deceit, they must take responsibility.”

Chairman of the NRF, who is also a former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Mohammed Umara Kumalia credits: http://www.northernreawakening.org

Northern Leaders Demand Fresh National Conference

On the same story, The Punch reports that northern leaders, mainly former political office holders from the zone, on Tuesday canvassed against the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference convened by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

The northerners said the Jonathan’s government had its agenda for setting up the confab and that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari could not work with the outcome of the 2014 conference.

The northern ex-political office holders, under the aegis of the Northern Reawakening Forum, asked Buhari to convene a fresh National Conference, specifically to address some pertinent issues affecting the North-East and other parts of the region.

The demand was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the forum’s summit and retreat with the theme, “Rebuilding a safe, secure and economically inclusive Northern Nigeria.”

Chairman of the NRF, who is also a former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Mohammed Umara Kumalia, read the communiqué in Abuja.

The NRF summit was declared open by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and in attendance was the Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, who presented a paper entitled: “Development of a Marshal Plan for Northern Nigeria: Specific Agenda for Northern Governors.”

Also at the summit were the Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar; Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom; and Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu.

Although Kumalia and other members of the NRF participated actively during the 2014 confab, the group insisted that the nature of the new confab the group was advocating would focus on how to rebuild the North-East region, which has been destroyed by activities of the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

According to him, the demand is necessary because the North East has been marginalised.

He said, “The North has the highest number of people below $2.00 a day; 71.5 per cent of the population in the North-East live in poverty and more than half are malnourished. A 2013 World Bank Report showed that poverty in 16 out of the 19 Northern states have doubled since 1980. The North has the lowest literacy rate in the country. Lagos is at 92 per cent, Kano 49 per cent and Borno less than 15 per cent. Sixty Five per cent of Northern girls and 53 per cent of boys are not in school compared to only 20 per cent for the South-East.

“We call on the Federal Government to convene a National Conference for the development of the North-East to put together a short, medium and lon-term vision for the development of the zone. The last National Conference was convened by the Peoples Democratic Party government. You do not expect this (All Progressives Congress) government to take hook, line and sinker what was put in place by the last government. It was convened by the PDP government and unfortunately the PDP lost the election. You do not expect the opposition then (APC) to accept the resolution of the previous government, which had its own objectives and of which this government is not aware.

“What are the problems in the North-East? Has anybody tried to ascertain the problems in the North-East? The essence of the national conference is to analyse the extent of damage done to the North-East. The working document would be used to rebuild the region. There is no resemblance between the conference we are proposing and the 2014 National Conference. Many things have been destroyed and we need people with experience to discuss how the area will be settled.”

The NRF also resolved that issues of health care, youth empowerment and education, security and human suffering, good governance and accountability, as well as IT and Infrastructure should be pursued by the Federal Government within the next 12-24 months.

The summit asked the Northern governors to facilitate the development of an economic blueprint for the region.

The group commended the Dangote and T.Y. Danjuma Foundations and encouraged other individuals to participate in philanthropic activities in Northern Nigeria. It also promised to collaborate with relevant health care agencies with a view to engendering the use of best practices in health care delivery and the deployment of modern facilities and equipment.

The forum said it would encourage Northern states to deliver health care support and services by engaging existing structures and programmes, such as indigenous Non-Governmental Organisations, the National Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross and international organisations for migration.

The summit was also attended by representatives of the Northern Governors Forum, civil society groups, corporate organisations, NGOs and key development partners, such as DFID, World Bank, African Development Bank and the UN.

There were also representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, NEMA, National Population Commission and National Planning Commission, among others, at the summit.

Some of the executive members of the NRF areKumaila, a former Minority Leader, House of Representatives; Mr. Jack Yakubu Pam from Plateau State, who is forum’s deputy chairman; Alhaji Tajudeen Dantata, a business man; Aliyu Ahmed Wadada, former Member, House of Representatives; Aisha Dukku , a former Minister of State, Education and currently a member of the House of Representatives; and Mallam Saidu Malami, a former commissioner in Nassarawa State.

Others are Alhaji Adamu Modibbo; Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar, a former Executive Secretary, Petroleum Trust Development Fund; Salam M.K. Ahmed, a former Director General, Pension Commission; Suraj Yakubu, a former Executive Secretary of Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission; Dr. Bilkisu Magoro, Hajiya Amina Jambo and Hajiya Fatima Saleh.