Jonathan revisits 2014 confab report, says he couldn’t have implemented it ‘without running into ethical questions’

Former president Goodluck Jonathan has absolved his administration of blame over failure to implement the 2014 confab report, saying “It was obvious that my administration, given the time the report was submitted, couldn’t have implemented the report, before the 2015 elections, without running into ethical questions”.

Jonathan made this known in his goodwill message at the 5th Integration Summit Annual Roundtable in Abuja Saturday where he was represented by his media adviser, Ikechukwu Eze.

The former president cited criticisms of his administration for failing to implement the report, saying, “I am aware that some people have raised some issues with the fact that I did not implement the recommendations of the confab during my tenure. I would like to state that those making this kind of claim are not being fair to me. Such people tend to forget that the report was submitted in August 2014, few months before the last general elections. It was at a time that the National Assembly was on break with many of the members already retreating to their different constituencies to prepare their constituents for elections”.

Speaking on the focus of the summit, the former president said his contribution to finding lasting solutions to Nigeria’s questions on unity and [peaceful cohesion was the 2014 national conference. He said, “My belief is that we need to redefine our dialogue and move quickly from over-theorisation to something tangible. My own way of solving the problem was the 2014 National Conference which I convened. It was a conclusion I reached in my mind about the best way to productively leverage the diverse tendencies of our different ethnic groups, to allow the centre to firmly hold for the good of our nation”.

Jonathan then went on to describe the modalities of the conference and tout its achievements.

He said, “The National Conference brought together various ethnic, religious and social groups to deliberate and decide by themselves how best to run our federation. The goal was to provide answers to our questions and establish the kind of peace that will bring about sustainable development and prosperity in Nigeria.

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“There were about 500 members, young and old, from all walks of life who were given the opportunity to thoroughly discuss and agree on every issue that agitated our minds on the suitability of Nigeria’s federal structure. Their mandate was to discuss and advice on all matters pertaining to our nationhood, with the corporate existence of our nation being the only exception. I received the report of the National Conference on Thursday August 21, 2014, after the closing ceremony to mark the end of the five-month long deliberations. I was satisfied with the outcome.

“It has remained the best national conference so far because of the depth of the deliberations and the fact that all the decisions reached were not based on majority votes, but by consensus. It was a conference that was designed to shape our future. Its outcome was meant to be of benefit to the future generation of Nigerians. Contrary to the claims in some quarters, the conference was not designed for my own gain or for the immediate benefit of the participants.

“I believe that those entrusted with the responsibilities to formulate policies or make laws should take the kind of decisions that should outlive them, not the ones designed to deliver instant profits to them. I believe the recommendations of the confab contain the answers to most of what we agitate for today. If implemented, they would go a long way in solving most of Nigeria’s identified structural problems, and providing the roadmap for sustainable development.

“I am aware that some people have raised some issues with the fact that I did not implement the recommendations of the confab during my tenure. I would like to state that those making this kind of claim are not being fair to me. Such people tend to forget that the report was submitted in August 2014, few months before the last general elections.

“It was at a time that the National Assembly was on break with many of the members already retreating to their different constituencies to prepare their constituents for elections. I believe that to have a tidy procedure of implementation, it would have involved committee deliberations, public hearings and town hall consultations on different segments of the report.

“There is no doubt that the nation then needed up to one year to complete the processes of implementing the recommendations. It was obvious that my administration, given the time the report was submitted, couldn’t have implemented the report, before the 2015 elections, without running into ethical questions”.

 

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