3.4 Visit to the Senate: The Committee also paid courtesy calls on the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives. His Excellency, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the Deputy Senate President received the Committee on behalf of the Senate President. In his remarks, the Deputy Senate President said that in anticipation of the possibility of making a new Constitution, the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment that he chairs, has proposed an amendment of Section 9 of the Constitution so that it will allow for the making of a new Constitution, and that the Senate Committee is waiting for its House of Representatives counterpart for harmonization of this proposal. He then pledged the support of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in this very important national project.

3.5 Visit to the House of Representatives: At the House of Representatives, the Committee was received by Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, the Deputy Speaker. In his remarks, the Deputy Speaker said that, the House welcomed the President’s initiative in setting up this Committee to advise on the modalities for convening a National Conference. He said, while the House supported the initiative, Members of the Lower Chamber would wait for the appropriate time to make their inputs into the process. He wished the Committee well.

3.6 Phase 4 – One-Day Brainstorming Retreat: The Committee held a One-Day Brainstorming Retreat at the International Conference Centre Abuja on Wednesday 20th November, 2013. Some renowned experts and seasoned leaders were invited to interact with members of the Committee through presentation, discussion and appraisal of papers on seminal topics and issues. The Retreat assisted in clarifying and throwing more light, from informed perspectives, on some conceptual and controversial issues that were raised by members of the general public in the course of our engagements with them through the media, the Interactive Sessions and the memoranda that they submitted to the Committee.

3.7 The Retreat was attended by some elder statesmen such as Chief Olu Falae and Malam Tanko Yakassai. Experts in different disciplines such as Professor Onigu Otite, Professor Adele Jinadu, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, Chief Godwin Kanu Agabi (SAN), Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, Dr Yahya Abdullahi, Professor Ebere Onwudiwe attended and presented and/or discussed some papers. Civil society activist such as Mrs. Ayo Obe and Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) as well as critical newspaper columnists: Ishaq Modibbo Kawu and Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed also participated actively in the Retreat.

3.8 The Retreat focused on issues such as ‘the national question’, ‘ethnic nationalities’, ‘plebiscite/referendum’, ‘sovereignty’, ‘review of National Conferences held in other countries, etc. (see Retreat Programme Appendices 14). The presentations and the discussions held for the whole day were thorough and knowledge-driven.

3.9 Phase 3 – Review of Memoranda: The Committee Members adjourned for three days to actively review individually, the memoranda that the Committee received through the Interactive Sessions, on-line and directly. This exercise allowed members to peruse and digest the 644 memoranda that Nigerians from all walks of life and across all divides forwarded to the Committee. The review exercise assisted tremendously in preparing appropriate responses to the Committee’s terms of reference.

3.10 Phase 5 – Working on the Report: Having exhaustively conducted all the activities it lined up for execution of the assignment, the Committee held an in-house brainstorming session in which, members reviewed the entire exercise, in order to arrive at appropriate responses to the terms of reference. The Committee then split into three (3) Sub-Committees on issues which, from the debates held and the assessment of the Interactive Sessions and the discussions at the Retreat, were areas that required greater attention. The Sub-Committees were as follows:

a. Sub-Committee on Agenda and Time-Frame, made up of Professor George A. Obiozor as Chairman, and Alhaji Dauda Birmah, OFR, and Dr. Mrs. Mairo Ahmed Amshi, FRM2, OFR as members; –

b. Sub-Committee on Structure and Modalities, comprising Senator Khairat Abdulrazaq-Gwadabe as Chairman and Professor Olufunke Adeboye, Professor Anya O. Anya FAS, OFR, NNOM, Dr. Abubakar Siddique Muhammad and Mr. Tony . Uranta as members;

c. Sub-Committee on Legal Matters headed by Chief Solomon Asemota (SAN) with Malam Bukhari Bello and Senator Timothy Adudu as members.

3.11 The Sub-Committees reported to the Main Committee in a Plenary. Their reports were subjected to debates and decisions were arrived at by consensus except for issues bordering on Mode of Representation, over which the Committee had recourse to voting. The Committee’s decisions in response to the seven (7) terms of reference are reported in the chapters and sections that follow.

CHAPTER FOUR TERMS OF REFERENCE

“To consult with all relevant stakeholders with a view to drawing up a feasible agenda for the proposed Dialogue/Conference.”

4.0 The Committee affirms the commitment Nigerians expressed and exhibited throughout the exercise, to Nigerian unity and continued existence of the country as a sovereign united entity. Nigerians overwhelmingly across the country are of the view that the National Conference should be another opportunity to fashion a more just, peaceful and equitable society through a stable democracy. Nigerians have indicated that, the Conference shall provide a platform to discuss all issues that will lead to the realization of their dream for a better, united country where justice, equity, peace, progress and development are achieved.

4.1 Observations: The Committee observes that, Nigerians throughout the country are committed to having a National Conference where issues militating against their collective development will be adequately discussed and strategies mapped out for addressing them through constitutional, legal, policy and other strategies. The Committee observed that except for the determination to maintain the corporate existence of Nigeria as a united country, Nigerians believe that there should be no, no-go-areas at the proposed Conference. They however, seem to place a lot of emphasis on some major issues bordering on their immediate concerns for national development, justice, peace and progress.

4.1 Recommendations

In the light of the above, the Committee recommends the following specific items for inclusion on the Agenda of the National Conference:

1. Political Restructuring of the country:a. Political Federalism.b. Fiscal Federalism,

   c. Definition of Federating Units: States or Geo-Political Zones

2. Forms of Democratic Governance:a. Presidential system.b. Parliamentary system;

   c. Choice between Uni-cameral or Bi-cameral legislature;

   d. Choice between full-time or part-time legislature.

3. Good Governance;a. Cost of governance;b. Corruption and National Development;

   c. Fighting corruption and anti-corruption agencies — ICPC, EFCC;

   d. Immunity of political office holders;

   e. Citizenship/indigenes — Settlers dichotomy;

   f. Justiciability of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy;

4. Judicature:a. Fundamental human rights;b. Impunity of judicial officers;

   c. Review of judicial institutions;

   d. Sharia and Customary legal system;

   d. Delays in the administration of justice.

5. Democratization:a. Deepening democracy;b. De-militarization of national psyche,

   c. Democratic culture and orientation;

   d. Mechanisms for a more inclusive participatory democracy.

6. Political parties, God-fatherism and the challenges of internal Democracy:
7. National Security and Security Challenges:a Security Agencies: Review and re-design of national security apparatus,b Local Policing,

   c Other security agencies.

8. State Creation and Merger of States
9. Education:a. Investment in education; b. Decentralisation and National Education policy;

   c. Return of Missionary and Private schools to original owners;

   d. Institutinalizing Tsangaya/Almajiri education system

   e. Nomadic Education.

10. Health:a. Health Policyb. Investment in Health

    c. Healthcare Delivery

11. Science, Technology and Development:a. Science and Technology Education;b. Technological Adaptations and the National Economy;

    c .Research and Development;

    d. Promotion and Improvement of indigenous Technological innovations;

12. Restoring the National Ethics, Morals and Core Values
13. Religion, Secularism and the Secularity of the Nigerian State
14. Agriculture, Food Security and Rural Developmenta. Decentralisation of National Agricultural Policy;b. Grazing Reserves and Cattle Routes Demarcation
15. The Environmenta. Environmental Degradation – flooding, soil erosion, oil spillage and desertification;b. Climate change.
16. Defence:a. Nigeria’s defence policy and posture at home and abroad;b.The Nigerian Armed forces and multi-lingual challenges;

    c. Nigeria and International peace-keeping operations.

17. Tenure of Public officials: President, Governors, etc
18. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the challenges of conducting free and fair elections.
19. Population and Credible National Census;
20. Land use Act;
21. Role of Traditional Rulers and Institution in governance at national and local levels;
22. The Economy:a. Poverty and wealth creation;b. Productivity;

    c. Diversification of the economy;

    d. Industries and Industrialisation

23. Oil and other Mineral Resources Management, Exploration and Sharing mechanism;
24. Revenue Generation and Mobilization
25. National Youth Service Corps (NYSC);
26. Gender issues;
27. Youth Unemployment and Development issue;
28. Physically Challenged Persons and National Development;
29. Investment in Sports
30. Boundary adjustment;
31. National inland waterways issues;
32. Elective Mayorality Administrative/Legislative Structures for FCT, Abuja
33. Special status for Lagos;
34. Unsettled issues of the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970);
35. Revising Bakassi;
36. Languages and Language Policy;
37. Pension Matters and Rights of Senior Citizens;
38. 38 Federal Character

CHAPTER FIVE

ToR2: To make recommendations to Government on structure and modalities for the proposed National-Dialogue/Conference