National Conference 2014- The Conflicted

Agenda

A SEMINAR PAPER PRESENTION IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF

PLSC 904 - PHD PROGRAMME

BY

ATERE CLEMENT OLUSEGUN [PG/10/0149]

PhD Peace and Conflict Resolution

BABCOCK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

ILISHAN-REMO, OGUN STATE

Department Of Political Science and Public Administration

LECTURER: PROF A. D AINA

APRIL 2014

National Conference 2014- The Conflicted

Agenda

ABSTRACT

It is very clear to all and sundry in Africa and even all over

the world that all is not well with Nigeria. Communal and

religious crises, riots, violence, conflicts and many other

crises have become the portion of Nigeria. There is deep mistrust

among the various ethnic nationalities and negative values keep

growing among our leaders. Since the beginning of democracy in

Nigeria, changing of Government at the center by election

presents new set of agitations for the citizenry. The above has

been the portion of Nigeria since the amalgamation of the

Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria by British

Colonial Governor Fredrick Lugard in January 1914. The country

since 1957 has conveyed five constitutional conferences to find

solution to our problems but without any solution. There is need

to resolve many issues that has been begging for answers for so

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many years; the structure of the nation, the true federalism, the

resource control and the issue of state and religion. These are

the issues that ordinarily would have been resolved by the

National Assembly but which they failed to resolve due to extreme

partisanship and selfishness. This paper looks at the recently

inaugurated 6th national conference and the various regional

agenda with the view to interrogate various issues raised by each

of the region and suggest ways by which the Nigeria nation can

move forward. The paper adopted the theory of structural social

conflict explain the various national crises and the way to

handle and resolve the conflicts.

Key Words- Nation and Conflicts

INTRODUCTION

The Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria were

amalgamated by British Colonial Governor Fredrick Lugard in

January 1914. Abbey (2011) in his write up has the following to

say on Nigeria before amalgamation

Before 1914, the country called Nigeria did not exist. In its place was a hugely

diverse scattering of tribes and communities, some of whom had territory that

overlaps the borders of present-day Nigeria. These varied groups with different

languages, cultures and political practices were all brought together under

British rule to form an entirely artificial nation. The arbitrary drawing of

borders in the 19th century which was so common to Africa in colonial times

paid little attention to the natural ethnic lines of the tribes. Whilst the Western

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world regarded them all as “Nigerians”, they considered themselves as

primarily members of whichever tribe from which they originated.

Many Nigerian scholars and statesmen have expressed conflicting

views about the disadvantages and advantages of the amalgamation.

The British, our colonial master as represented by Lord Lugard

seems to care less about even their own British oxford dictionary

that defines Nation as “A large body of people united by common descent,

history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory”: hence

no two or three people can co-exist in harmony unless they agree

to share common values like religion, history, culture, beliefs,

and aspirations. Little wonder why ethno-religion conflicts and

political instability is rife in Nigeria.

The building, in Zungeru, Niger State, where Frederick Lugard

supposedly signed the Amalgamation of Northern and Southern

Nigeria on Thursday 1st January 1914

Photo Credit: Oluyomi Abiona/wakaabout.net4

CLARIFICATION OF CONCEPT

Nation

Prabhat S (2011) defined nation as a community or group of people

who share the same history, language, descent, and a common

government and refer to a country as a geographical aspect. It

can be a territory or a region of sovereign states, non-sovereign

states, or a region having people having similar characteristics

Sparknotes, A united States Government and politics study guide

defines nation as;

“a large group of people who are linked by a similar culture, language, and

history. Members of some nations share an ethnicity (almost everyone in South

Korea is Korean, for example), whereas other nations consist of ethnically

diverse groups of people (the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and

Singapore, for instance). However, the members of a nation see themselves as

connected. Fellow members are often regarded as part of an extended family.

Many members of a nation take pride in being a part of something bigger than

themselves as individuals, and they celebrate their nation”.

There have been discussions at various stages of our nationhood

when many have asked if Nigeria is a nation or a country. Chief

Obafemi Awolowo has this to say about Nigeria;

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"Nigeria is not a nation; it is a mere geographical expression. There are no

‘Nigerians’ in the same sense as there are ‘English’ or ‘Welsh’ or ‘French’; the

word Nigeria is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live

within the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not.”-Obafemi Awolowo

(1947) in his book, Path to Nigeria's Freedom published in 1947”

The late Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa

Balewa was reported in 1952 in a speech in the Northern House of

Assembly, Kaduna, that

“`the Southern people who are swarming into this region daily in large

numbers are really intruders. We don`t want them and they are not welcome

here in the North”

This study agreed that, having passed through stages in the

process of nationhood including a very bloody civil war, Nigeria

is a nation.

Conflict

Conflict is defined as disagreement between individuals. It can

vary from a mild disagreement to a win-or-lose, emotion-packed,

confrontation (Kirchoff and Adams, 1982).

Conflict is further defined as state of disharmony between

incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interests. It

also can be defined as a disagreement through which the parties

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involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests, or concern.

It is a phenomenon that is an important part of human existence

(Isard, 1992, P. 1) and a natural part of our daily lives (Weeks,

1992, P. ix)

The Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research

definition of conflict is broader and most acceptable to this

study in describing conflicts as: “the clashing of interests

(positional differences) on national values of some duration and

magnitude between at least two parties (organized groups, states,

groups of states, organizations) that are determined to pursue

their interests and win their cases.” (HIIK, 2005, P.2).

The agenda prepared by each of the regions as reported by the

various newspapers is nothing but to protect the interest of

their region and it is clear that there is a clash of interest.

BACKGROUND TO STUDIES

Nigeria constitutional Conferences

The Nigerian nation has gone through 6 attempts at making a

perfect constitution that will guide the way and how we can live

together as a nation. These includes;

The Constitutional Conference of 1957

This conference took place in London under the guidance of the

Colonial master and it was to prepare Nigeria for Independence.

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“The Independence Constitution of 1960 (along with its

slightly revised 1963 version) was the product of sheer

necessity borne out of attempts to reach difficult

compromises among competing regional interests. The Willink

Commission of 1957 was set up to probe the fears of

minorities about their political fate in independent

Nigeria in regions dominated by the Fulani aristocracy in

the Northern Region, by the Igbo in the East and by the

Yoruba in the West. Its publication in 1958 revealed just

how contentious the negotiations for a formula for a

constitutional federalism had become”

Part of the decisions of that conference is to grant autonomy to

Eastern and Western regions and they were granted self-

government in 1957. The conference also decided that the Office

of the Prime Minister should be created and that the Federal

Legislature would be Bi-cameral.

The Constituent Assembly of 1978

The 1979 Constitution that created the current Presidential

System with its attendant checks and balances and Fundamental

Human Rights provisions was the product of this conference.

The Constituent Assembly of 1988

The assembly produced the un-promulgated 1989 constitution. Ajayi

(2009) has this to say about this constituent assembly put

together by General Babangida;

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“The result of the deliberation on the Constitution under review did not

significantly differ from the 1979 Constitution, as mentioned. I might state

that the whole political exercise by the Political Bureau, the Constitution

Review Committee, and the 1988 Constituent Assembly were wasteful

exercises” Ajayi (2009)

The 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference

This conference produced the 1999 Constitution that is in

operation in the country today. One of the major products from

the assembly is the idea of the current Six Geo-Political Zones

that have become one of the avenues for distribution of projects

and public offices in Nigeria.

The 2005 National Political Reform Conference

Produced a number of key recommendations that were sent to the

then National Assembly, which were however not perfected.

All the above exercise has neither improved the governance of the

nation nor bring the desired unity of purpose.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

From constitutional development exercises Nigeria has

experimented with five constitutions, the 1960, 1963, 1979, 1989

and 1999 constitutions. (The 1989 Constitution was not

promulgated).

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All the above exercises has not provided the citizenry with the

much needed good government and unity in the country. The

national question remained unanswered. The above will not be far

from the reasons why many are using the opportunity of the

centenary of the amalgamation of Northern and Southern

protectorates to ask for a revisit and determination of how we

intend to live together as a nation.

Akinrinade, a former Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and a

leader of the defunct National Democratic Coalition NADECO) that

fought the Abacha military administration, was quoted as saying:

“President Jonathan must have come to the realisation that  we have structural

imbalances created by the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern 

Protectorates and the unitary federal system created by the military”. Hugo

Odiogor (2014)

This study agreed with Alani Akinrinade that there is indeed

structural imbalance but not only created by the amalgamation of

2014 but also by the greediness and vain arrogance of successive

governments in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objective of this study is to look at the various past

efforts on constitutional development in Nigeria, study the

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various regional agenda and suggest ways by which the current

exercise could be beneficial to the nation

THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

There have been extensive write up on the nature, causes and the

impact of conflicts. Depending on the school of thought to which

they represent.

Conflicts are inescapable within and around human beings but the

good news are that conflicts can be used as motivators for

healthy change. In a country like Nigeria there are several

factors that can create competition; they may be differing ethnic

objectives, individual objectives, competition for use of

resources or differing viewpoints. All these have to be

incorporated into the national agenda and exploited effectively

to achieve national cohesion.

The traditional theory is based on the assumption that conflicts

are bad, are caused by trouble makers, and should be subdued

whilst contemporary theory recognizes that conflicts between

human beings are unavoidable. They emerge as a natural result of

change and can be beneficial to the organization, if managed

efficiently. Current theory (Kirchoff and Adams, 1982) considers

innovation as a mechanism for bringing together various ideas and

viewpoints into a new and different fusion. An atmosphere of

tension, and hence conflict, is thus essential in any

organization committed to developing or working with new ideas. 11

There are plenty of conflicting issues in Nigeria and probably

the 2014 national conference may come up with new ideas that will

bring up good fusion.

This study adopts the structural conflict theory to interrogate

various conflicting issues in Nigeria with the aim of providing

suggestions for effective resolution.

Structural Conflict Theory

This theory has two main sub-orientations. The first is the

radical structural theory represented by the Marxist dialectical

school with exponents like Marx and Engels, V.I. Lenin, etc. The

second is the liberal structuralism represented by Ross (1993)

and the famous work of Galtung Johan (1990) on structural

violence. It is also sometimes similar to transformative theory,

which addresses the reactions of individuals, groups, cultures,

institutions and societies to change. It further sees

incompatible interests based on competition for resources, which

in most cases are assumed to be scarce, as being responsible for

social conflicts (Collier 2000). Theories like Marxism, in its

thesis on ‘historical materialism’ present conflicts as mostly

tied to economic structures and social institutions.

The work of Collier is informative on the various agenda set by

various region especially as regards the resource control.

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The main argument of the structural conflict theory according to

Faleti Ademola (2006) is that conflict is built into the

particular ways societies are structured and organized. The

theory looks at social problems like political and economic

exclusion, injustice, poverty, disease, exploitation, inequity

etc., as sources of conflict. Structuralists maintain that

conflicts occur because of the exploitative and unjust nature of

human societies, domination of one class by another, etc

Liberal structuralists like John Galtung, propounded the theory

of negative peace and positive peace to buttress how structural

conflicts can occur in the society. The solution to this type of

conflict, to the Marxists, is that the contradictions will end in

a revolution, civil war, or some form of violence leading to the

overthrow of the exploitative system. Liberal structuralists call

for the elimination of structural defects with policy reforms.

The emphasis of structural theory is thus on how the competing

interests of groups tie conflict directly into the social,

economic, and political organization of society as well as the

nature and strength of social networks within and between

community groups. Ross noted for instance that, in situations

where economic and political discrimination and weak kinship ties

are the defining characteristics of a society, the chances that

negative forms of conflict will result are higher than in

situations where the conditions are the exact opposite. In other

words, when social, political, economic and cultural processes

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are monopolized by a group, it creates the conditions that make

people to adopt adversarial approaches to conflict.

DISCUSSION

The 2014 National Conference and the Regional Agenda

The journey to the national conference began on October 1, 2013

when President Jonathan announced during his nationwide broadcast

to mark Nigeria’s 53rd Independence anniversary the setting up of

a conference committee headed by Afenifere chieftain and strong

advocate for a National Conference, Senator Femi Okunroumu.

The inauguration of the conference took place on March 17, 2014,

in his speech president Jonathan strongly believes the conference

will be another landmark in the efforts to strengthen national

unity and consolidate democratic governance in our beloved

country. Speaking further he said;

“I also believe that this National Conference is coming at a very appropriate

time. Having just celebrated the first centenary of our country, the most

compelling task before us, as we move ahead and contemplate what our nation

will be at the end of its second century, is to lay a much stronger foundation for

faster development.

This we can achieve by building a more inclusive national consensus on the

structure and guiding principles of state that will guarantee our emergence as a

more united, progressive and prosperous nation.

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In our history as a political entity, we have experienced highs and lows but have

always forged ahead. To my mind, the fact that we have weathered   all storms

and continued with the mission of evolving a truly national identity signifies that

we are going in the right direction.” Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (2014)

However, very many key figures in Nigeria do not agree with the

above views of the president on the ongoing National conference

and quote below such views across the country. Mr. Orji Uzor Kalu

on the conference said;

“I have studied the reports of past conferences and how far preceding

governments could go in the implementation of the reports, and regrettably

wish to state that the whole thing has not been palatable. If I am asked to

hazard a guess as regard the estimated figure on how much had been spent on

past conferences I would say it runs into hundreds of billions. Then the

question is: is this amount commensurate with what had been achieved over

the years? The answer is capital ‘NO’. There is no questioning the fact that

Nigeria would have been better off if the reports of these conferences had been

meticulously and patriotically implemented.

Feelers from the secretariat of the just-inaugurated National Conference show

that the conference would gulp over N12.4 billion. And this amounts to N12

million per delegate for the three months they would spend. My grouse is not

about the amount each delegate gets at the end of the day. My worry is that

the report of the conference might be so controversial that it may not be

implementable. So, what happens to the billions expended? As usual it goes

into the drainpipe.” Uzor Kalu (2014)

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Prof. Nwabueze opined that the conference as constituted lacks

power to produce an acceptable constitution because the

convocation, its composition, its functions, its modus operandi

are not catered for by law;

“Let me correct the impression that we are in the process of another

constitution making. The National Conference, as constituted by the

President, lacks the capacity to draft a constitution to be submitted to the

people for approval through a referendum. It doesn’t have the capacity, so it

does not entail a constitution making at all. That is something we have to

realize, arising from the nature and type of the conference as constituted or

established by the President. The reason for this is that the conference is not

established by virtue of any law enacted by the National Assembly. The

convocation, its composition, its functions, its modus operandi are not

catered for by law. It is established entirely by virtue of the inherent powers of

the President under Section 5 of the constitution. With its limited functions, its

establishment is within the immediate powers of the President. The

conference not established under a law enacted by the legislative authorities

of the country cannot adopt a constitution. It lacks the capacity to draft a

constitution that will be binding on everybody as law.” Nwabueze (2014)

Yinka Kolawole reporting for Thisday reported the opinion of Mr.

Bola Tinubu said;

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“A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC),

Senator Bola Tinubu, Wednesday decried the moves by

President Goodluck Jonathan to  the proposed national

conference, describing them as a tactic  to divert 

attention from his second term ambition” Yinka Kolawole

(2014)

For General Buari, the conference is just a waste of public funds

:

A former Head of State and national leader of the All

Progressives Congress, APC, Maj. Gen Muhammadu Buhari

(rtd), on Monday described the ongoing national conference

as a waste of public funds. He said the huge amount

budgeted for the delegates and the entire process should

have been put to judicious use in other pressing areas

because the National Assembly was in a better position to

do what the conference was trying to achieve. Daniel

(2014)

The Northern Agenda

Speaking on the agenda, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State

said

“the northern governors took a bold step at their just

concluded meeting in Kaduna on the points to be presented

at the conference and assured that the points would not in

any way tamper with the unity and development of the

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country. “In our last meeting, we took a principled

position to send our best and experienced people to the

conference and this will include those who will be able to

defend and discuss the issues without fear or favour but

which will not tamper with the unity and development of

the country,” Babangida Aliu (2014)

Ndako, who is also the secretary of the Northern Governors’

Forum, listed the 30 points the north would canvass at the

conference to include;

“fiscal federation, structure of government, issue of state police, and labour

matters,  especially as they relate to uniformity or otherwise of  wages and

salaries. Also on the northern agenda, as listed by Ndako, are electricity as a

major weapon for economic growth, especially on whether states should be

allowed to generate power independently; tenure of president and the

governors; devolution of power; the traditional institutions; immunity clause

as it presently affects the governors  and   president; the independence of the

legislative arm and the judiciary as well as who is to monitor the Judiciary;

gender and special groups like the handicapped; onshore and offshore

dichotomy; and Resource control” Ndako(2014)

Other points include tenure of president and governors,

devolution of power, traditional institutions, immunity clause

for governors and president, independence of the legislative arm

and the judiciary, onshore and offshore dichotomy, resource

control.

There are also social security, including health, housing,

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electoral law which include how elections should be conducted,

system of government — presidential or parliamentary, security,

creation of more states and local governments and transformation

of the agricultural sector as the mainstay of the northern

region.

South-South Agenda

The South-south geo-political zone, the chief revenue generator

for the country, also wants restructuring, fiscal federalism and

50 per cent derivation. Currently, derivation is a miserly 13 per

cent.

Most participants at the one-day South-south zonal conference on

the National Dialogue held at the Cultural Centre in Calabar, the

Cross River State Capital, last week, insisted that local

communities and states where natural resources emanate should

control their wealth by, at least, 50 per cent. They argued that

if this singular issue is resolved, the national atmosphere would

be convivial.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/02/national-

conference-agenda-igbo-yoruba-north-ssouth/#sthash.r5R1WL6N.dpuf

The South East Agenda

According to Nwaorgu; Igbo want restructuring, reparation for

incessant killings –

On the agenda of the Igbo for the conference, Nwaorgu said it is

not different from what the Ohanaeze presented to the Senator 19

Femi Okurounmu-led President Advisory Committee (PAC) on National

Conference when it visited the South-east last October 27 and 29.

His words: “We are prepared for the conference and we are

determined to make it succeed. The issues we want resolved

include: the structure of government-presidential or

parliamentary, fiscal federalism, devolution of power, resource

control, citizenship right, security of lives and property, and

reparation over the continuous killing of our people and

destruction of their property.”

Dr. Godsmark Eddy Ugwu who was a delegate to the 1994/95 national

conference, says;

“the national conference should provide modalities for

which there will be periodic review of the constitution

of the country so as it be in consonance with  events

happening in our contemporary society. He said the Igbo

agenda should include the demand for reparation to

curtail the negative after- effects of the civil war

of1967 to 1970 on the people of the zone. He also advised

the delegates to demand for equal number of  states  so

that the number of states obtained in the zone will  be

at par with other zones that have six states each, while

the North West has seven”. Maurice Okafor (2014)

Middle Belt Agenda

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In an article written in Vanguard newspaper of March 9, 2014

Abutu was quoted as saying;

“We are going to the National Conference to demand for a political identity that

defines who they are, their culture and heritage in the Northern region. We are

Middle Belt region and not North Central as the North prefers to call us.

The northern political establishment has always been opposed to the effort of

the Middle Belt to establish a political identity that reflects the history, culture

landscape of the region.

The leader of the United Middle Belt Congress, the late Joseph Tarka, was

persecuted and tried for his efforts to establish the North-central Region as

distinct from Northern Region. During the fourth republic, Mr. George Akume,

as the governor of Benue State, faced a backlash from the north when he tried

to start from where Tarka stopped in the first republic. There is a new wave to

push for a Middle Belt identity at the National Conference”. Hugo Odiogor

(2014)

South West Agenda

The Yoruba agenda is a coalition of thoughts of socio-cultural

groups in Yoruba land.

The punch Newspaper of February 28, 2014 reported on Yoruba

agenda as stated below;

“While reading out the summary of the 15 issues on the Yoruba Agenda,

Akinrinade said, “When the conference holds from March 10, 2014, the Yoruba

people will make a proposal for a new Nigeria, consisting of a central

union/Federal Government and six regional governments based on the current

six geo-political zones, including all other Yoruba outside the imposed artificial

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boundaries; that is to say, in Edo, Delta, Kogi and Kwara states; and operating

federal and regional constitutions, respectively. He further stated that the

Yoruba would agitate for regional autonomy for the South-West within a united

Nigerian federation. Akinrinade added that the conference offered an

opportunity for the ethnic group to actualise its agenda, especially with the

“expiration of the amalgamation by mistake of 1914.” Olufemi Atoyebi and Ade

Adesomoju (2014)

The Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) on February 12, convoked a

Yoruba Constitutional Conference (YCC) in Ibadan with a view to

working out a definite regional agenda, it was reported thus;

“Chairman, Hon. Wale Oshun, said would form the plank of the Yoruba’s desire

for negotiation at the national conference. The conference made it clear that

the Yoruba people were forced into Nigeria. The conference observed that the

aspiration of the Yoruba people for self-identity, progress and peaceful

development “cannot be fulfilled within Nigeria as presently constituted,”

adding, “Nigeria is not a nation and never in the past had there been any

serious attempt to build a nation out of the contraption. The current effort

towards a national conference is suspicious as it is glaring that the president

lacks the will and the sincerity of purpose to midwife a genuine conference.”

Akinsanmi Gboyega (2014)

CONCLUSION

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The president, acknowledging the various challenges confronting

the nation and also the thoughts of the diverse ethnic

nationalities on the solution to the challenges said;

“the conference is being convened to engage in intense introspection about

the political and socioeconomic challenges confronting the nation, and to

chart the best and most acceptable way for the resolution of such challenges

in the collective interest of all the constituent parts of our fatherland. He

reiterated that he was convening the conference due to his belief that his

administration must assume responsibility for ensuring that the long-running

national debate on the best way forward for the country is not in vain. He

urged participants to patriotically articulate and synthesize peoples’ thoughts,

views and recommendations for a stronger, more united, peaceful and

politically stable Nigeria, forge the broadest possible national consensus in

support of those recommendations, and strive to ensure that they are given

the legal and constitutional backing to shape the present and the future of our

beloved fatherland…... Indeed, I am quite worried when I hear people say

that some participants in this National Conversation are coming here to

defend and promote ethnic or clannish agenda. It is very regrettable that

there are persons who believe that we cannot undertake any collective

task in our country without the hindrance of ethnic rivalry even after 100

years of nationhood” SaharaReporters (2014)

It is indeed worrisome to note that each political zone arrived at the national conference venue armed with the zonal agenda; it is more worrisome to note that these agenda are conflicting. The Igbo wants 50% derivative or total resource control whereas the North wants the status quo to remain. Dr. Junaid Muhammed one thedelegate to the National conference, for example was reported

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telling New Telegraph that resource control and state creation will be dead on arrival.

“Absolutely certain, we won’t support resource control. We will fight it with the last drop of blood. We know the history of revenue allocation in this country. That history did not begin in 1958 when oil was discovered in Oloibiri. There was a country before 1958 before the discovery of oil and there would be a country long after the oil has finished.So, the North is not going to support resource control” Ayodele Ojo etal (2014)

Prominent in the mind of the Yoruba delegates to the conference are the issues of regionalization and state police, again the Northern delegate will not agree to any of these and was made clear by another delegate from the North,Mr. Anthony Sani, who said

“Regions with their states, police, etc, is reminiscent of confederal arrangement with weak centre that can presage split of the country. This should not be allowed.” Ayodele Ojo etal (2014)

As a matter of fact some delegates seems to be ready for

anything and are already making remarks that can make the

conference rancorous and make the situation of the nation worst

off post conference. Mohamed Junaid again was quoted as saying;

“If those in the MOSSOB are demanding that they dont want to be part of

Nigeria, fine. If the terrorists in MEND and NDVF or whatever they call

themselves say they also want to have their own state, fine. Let me tell you, in

the event of the breakup of Nigeria, which will be very unfortunate, the North is

the only component that will remain one and united.

And we will retain Abuja as the capital of that truncated Nigeria much to our

displeasure. We also have two other cities which could serve as capital of

Nigeria. Kano is as good as a capital anywhere in Africa. Kaduna will be good a

capital too. Dont forget, Kaduna was the capital of Northern Nigeria. So going

back to Kaduna will be the natural thing for us to do. So what is all the farce? 24

What have we gained from being a part of Nigeria? Tell me! I dont know what I

gained for instance. Look at the revenue allocation formula and tell me how

this revenue allocation formula can ever allow peace and stability in any

country, not just in Nigeria, which already they say is an artificial creation. And

let me tell you that in the event of the breakup of this country, Ilorin and Offa

will remain 100 % Northern Nigeria and not one each of land will be ceded to

them.” Tim kola (2014)

This study therefore concluded that because the delegate see

themselves first as a member of an

ethnic nationality rather than Nigerian, they are at the

conference not for Nigeria agenda but for ethnic or even selfish

agenda. Therefore the conference will not be in want of rancorous

moment and may not be able to make good suggestions on the good

way forward for Nigeria. The country must exercise caution at this

time so that the conflicted agenda may not bring a greater

conflict than what we are currently witnessing.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann in the 1970s identified five

main styles of dealing with conflict that vary in their degrees

of cooperativeness and assertiveness. One of the styles is

compromise; Nigerian leaders at this time must try to find

solution that will at least partially satisfy every region.

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“Everyone is expected to give up something and the compromiser him- or herselfalso expects to relinquish something. Compromise is useful when the cost ofconflict is higher than the cost of losing ground, when equal strength opponentsare at a standstill and when there is a deadline looming.” Thomas andKilman, (1976).

Nigeria as a nation was able survive a civil war and some other

challenges, extreme care must be taken not think that future

challenges are not probable. This study believe strongly that

national development and unity cannot be guaranteed as the

country is presently constituted

We need to go back to the social, structural, cultural, religious

and historical roots of our present-day problems to resolve the

ethnic, religious, cultural, and post-colonial social factors

that have become the building pillars and major obstacles to our

peaceful and harmonious coexistence.

Whilst agreeing that the unity of Nigerian is non-negotiable, we

must begin that process of reforming the inequities in the

country.

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BIBLOGRAPHY

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