By Donu Kogbara
CALLS for a Sovereign National Conference (SONACO) are widespread; and the will of the majority is supposed to be acted on within a democratic context. But – many of my friends will be very angry with me for saying this! – I think that President Jonathan should dodge the SONACO option, if he can.

I used to be an enthusiastic advocate of the notion that different ethnic and interest groups desperately need to get together in a massive debating chamber to discuss each others’ views about various burning issues and decide how they should relate to each other in future and determine the country’s future.

However, tensions are extremely high right now, thanks to Boko Haram’s homicidal antics, Ijaw triumphalism, the fallout from the fuel subsidy removal/reduction drama and many, many, many other stress points.

I had breakfast with a Kano-based pal this morning and he told me that most Northerners are sick and tired of constantly being reminded that they don’t produce oil. They feel that Southerners in general and Niger Deltans in particular have totally lost respect for them and would love to get rid of them.

Many Southerners, meanwhile, have their own current, historical, religious and political grudges against the North. And let’s not forget the bitter internal conflicts that are creating combustible divisions within every tribal enclave.

Millions of Nigerians are, at the
moment, like tightly-pulled elastic bands that are ready to snap the minute the slightest amount of pressure is applied; and it’s not a good idea, in my opinion, to talk about contentious matters at great length when you are simmering with barely suppressed rage and are itching to land a few hot slaps on the faces of real or imagined enemies and detractors!

I used to believe that it was always healthy to get annoyance off your chest and out of your system by telling anyone who had offended you exactly how you felt. I used to think that Truth was far more important than tact. But while I will always be prone to blunt, undiplomatic outbursts, I’ve gradually matured and mellowed; and I now reckon that Catharsis is over-estimated and that there are times when it makes sense to bite your tongue and keep your big mouth shut.

I recently read an article about the fact that many British couples go to professional marriage guidance counsellors when they are going through marital problems. And guess what I discovered? That these intense, emotionally charged grievance-airing sessions often become destructive rather  than constructive and often lead to divorce rather than reconciliation!

In other words, if your spouse – or (come to think of it) parents or siblings or ANY family member – is ticking you off and driving you over the edge, it is risky (if you value your family unit) to start verbally picking away at the wounds you have probably inflicted on each other (it usually takes two to start a fight).

Sure, complaining in public fora about the injustices you feel have been dumped on you can make you feel a whole heap better. But for how long? Is it not preferable to forget about sanctimonious self-justifications…and to keep quiet, try to improve your behaviour and pray that the rift will eventually be healed?

So, yes, there might be some substantial advantages attached to setting up a national Talking Shop. But will the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

My fear is that a SONACO will start as a civilised communications exercise but rapidly degenerate into a huge toxic quarrel and shouting match. And I don’t see what we will gain from stirring up a hornet’s nest at a fragile juncture like this.

A lot of Nigerians from all six geopolitical zones are saying, in largely private gatherings, that they will be happy if Nigeria splits up; and, as the daughter of Biafra-supporting parents, I can completely identify with this sentiment.

But you know what? Even I do not REALLY want to be separated from my Yoruba, Igbo, Middle Belt or Northern brethren. I would rather find a way of getting along well with them than wind up in a Niger Delta Republic or Southern Federation. And I suspect that most Nigerians do not, deep down, want schism. There is strength in numbers, especially on the international stage. And it’s actually quite interesting to belong to a culturally diverse melting pot. And there’s no harm in taking the benevolent view that Nigeria is, essentially, a large, unruly family that is riven with rivalries that can be resolved.

The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), while calling on President Jonathan to ensure the convocation of a SONACO this year, appealed to him to “listen to the voice of reason” and stop postponing “a day of reckoning”.

The very use of phrases like “day of reckoning” is ominous! It implies that proponents are anticipating the prospect in a grim, purse-lipped, antagonistic  frame of mind. And I don’t regard this attitude as terribly helpful.

A sage once said (about conflict resolution): “Least said, soonest mended.” And I would love to know whether Vanguard readers share my conviction that we should try to dodge the multiple insults that will arise if a SONACO takes place.

Congratulations!

MY loyal, highly-intelligent friend and former colleague, Daniel Iworiso Markson, has just been appointed Senior Special Assistant (Media & Public Affairs) to the new Governor of Bayelsa, His Excellency, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson.

I would like to offer copious congratulations not only to Daniel himself but to His Excellency, who has made an inspired choice that he will surely not regret.

When I called Daniel to tell him “WELL DONE!”, he had this to say:

“Over the past few months, I have grown to know my Boss well and have developed a strong respect for his character and skills. My major objective is to make the Dickson Administration look good and I will deploy everything within my disposal and professional competence to provide much-needed support and enable it to earn the trust and love of all Bayelsans and the entire Ijaw Nation.”

 Why bother?!

Another reservation I have about demands for a SONACO revolves around the question of who will represent the different participating groups.

The legislators who sit in state houses of assembly and the National Assembly are almost always hand-picked by Governors and other VIPs. OK, so some of these legislators are decent sorts who won their elections and have their constituents’ best interests at heart. But most are not what we want.

Will the domineering moneybag grandees who have deprived us of credible and caring representatives in the past not foist their horrible cronies on us yet again when it is time to select SONACO reps? Of course!!! So why bother?