Founder of Afe Babalola University Adeo-Ekiti, ABUAD, Chief Afe Babalola(SAN), has commended President Goodluck Jonathan, on the commendable step he has taken by setting up a Planning Committee to look into the issue of national conference with a view to solving the multi-various problems afflicting the country.

A statement by Tunde Olofintila, Director, Public Affairs said: “Babalola is particularly happy that the 13-man committee, headed by the erudite Dr. Femi Okurounmu, is coming as Mr. President’s independence anniversary gift to Nigerians.

“He also believes that the conditions for the country’s continued co-existence need to be properly and conclusively discussed, for which he had previously submitted some well-thought out papers to the office of Mr. President and Justice Alfa Belgore, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria.”

Babalola, who applauded and commended the new boost to the issue of national conference, added that it is apposite to state that Nigeria, a huge country with multitude of tribes and scores of ethnic groupings, speaking over 250 languages and dialects, with multiplicity of religious beliefs, varied cultural backgrounds, social exposures and political antecedents among others, has problems.

These problems, according to him, were acknowledged by the founding fathers of the country, who advocated regional system of government which emphasised each region to develop at its own pace with a relatively weak centre as practiced in the First Republic.

He said this was against the federalism foisted on the country by the military and which the successive civilian governments have retained.

“It, therefore, goes without saying that the SNC will afford Nigerians the opportunity to frankly marshall their differences, fears and commonalities and address such sundry issues as insecurity, corruption and intolerance, among others,” he said.

He hoped that Okurounmu’s committee will do a thorough job with a view to solving the nation’s multi-various problems, adding that Nigeria must be pulled back from the brink and from the precipice with a constitution made democratically through a conference and affirmed in a referendum by Nigerians, not subject to anybody’s approval.

He added that the National Conference will, therefore, have to discuss institutions such as the National Assembly, whether it should be full time or part time; whether it should be bi-cameral or uni-cameral because the National Assembly as presently constituted, was too expensive for Nigeria.

He said  it needed streamlining to reflect the country’s realities and the worth of its contributions to governance.

With the president’s bold step, he pointed out, a new era had begun in the history of the country for which Nigerians of today and future generations will be grateful.