President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 set up a committee to prepare the modalities.

Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 announced the setting up of a committee to prepare the grounds for convening a national conference in response to demands over the years by various stakeholders , Thisday newspaper reported.

The President, in a broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 53rd independence anniversary, said the 13-member advisory committee to be chaired by Dr. Femi Okurounmu, with Dr. Akilu Sani Indabawa as secretary, is expected to complete its assignment in a month. Its task is to establish the modalities for the national parley aimed at resolving issues causing recurrent friction in the polity.

President Jonathan defended the change of stance by his administration on the convocation of a national conference, saying it made perfect sense to him for stakeholders to discuss issues that often create tension and friction in the country. Some pressure groups and notable Nigerians have been demanding the holding of a national conference since the rebirth of democracy in 1999.

According to Punch newspaper, the committee’s terms of reference are to draw up an agenda for the dialogue, propose its structure and modalities and make recommendations on how various interest groups will be represented. It is also to advise government on a timeframe for the national conference, its legal framework and procedures, and options for integrating its decisions and outcomes into the Constitution.

Reacting to the announcement, the Governor of Niger State and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, said the region was not opposed to the idea. What the region was against, the Governor told The Guardian newspaper, was a Sovereign National Conference that could create two sovereign entities in the country.

Monsignor Gabriel Osu, Director of Social Communication, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, said the problem with Nigeria was not dialogue, but for government to properly implement the laws of the land. On his part, the Anglican Bishop of Ngbo in Ebonyi State, Right Rev Christian Ebisike, said the decision was a reflection of the aspirations of millions of Nigerians. He advised government to show commitment to the conference and avoid another ‘political jamboree’ reminiscent of past national parleys held to decide Nigeria’s future.