Nigeria National Conference and Its Impact on Unity and Diversity in Nigeria

Abstract

The search for a viable, stable and justiciable polity in Nigeria has continued with the inauguration of a National Dialogue by President Goodtuck Ebele Jonathan to a new course for the future of the nation. The Dialogue is at variance with unrelenting calls by opposition parties, social and human rights advocates, sectional/ethnic groups for a sovereign national conference to address the national question bordering on systemic contradictions, distortions, marginalization and structural violence. Nonetheless, the “imposed” National Dialogue has generated dilemmas for the opposition and the Nigerian public alike. The problematic, therefore, are: One, does the Dialogue have the capacity, competence, and legitimacy to address the fundamental national questions including agitations for justiciable fiscal federalism, systemic imbalance, self-determination, resource control, institutional decay, minority marginalization and power sharing? Two, can the Dialogue fundamentally re-invent and strengthen the nation’s political, future by consolidating the unity of the country or will it rather undermine it? Three, and flowing from the latter concern, is the apprehension that considering the idiosyncratic nature, pedigree and seemingly emerging power configuration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan coupled with the sovereign limitations of the Dialogue will the report of the conference be adopted by the National Assembly as a legal instrument capable of safeguarding unity in diversity in Nigeria in the face of confronting threats to unity and corporate existence of Nigeria? Four, will the report of the Dialogue not suffer uncertainty and become moribund like such previous exercises as the Oputa Panel on human rights abuses and the Nigeria Political Reform Conference of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo administration? Lastly, and more germane, what are the fears of government in convoking a sovereign conference and allied to this, why the executive pronouncement that the issue of Nigeria unity shall be “a no go area”? The study is saddled with the challenge of addressing these problem, and in addition, examine the impact of the National conference/dialogue on unity in diversity in Nigeria