BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH, ONOZURE DANIA & CHINYERE  ABIAZIEM

The Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, yesterday, cautioned that rather than embarking on a national conference, the Federal Government should convene a Sovereign National Conference, SNC, which its outcome will be subjected to referendum.

The Ikeja branch of the association at a press conference organised to address various national issues, said anything short of this will be outrightly rejected by the people of Nigeria who are already expressing doubts on the genuineness of government’s national dialogue.

Its chairman, Mr. Monday  Ubani said the country cannot afford another conference which will eventually become a political jamboree, adding,  the outcome of the conference, if agreed upon by Nigerians, will become the country’s new constitution.

“The National Conference will hold in February we are told. While others have dismissed it as one laden with ill motive from the convener, others are still doubting the modalities that will be employed both in the mode of the representations and the treatment that will be meted out to the outcome of the conference.

“The NBA Ikeja branch demands a Sovereign National Conference whose modalities, representation processes and outcome should be well spelt out by an Act of the National Assembly.
“Whatever is agreed at the conference table shall be subjected to a referendum of the people and if agreed upon becomes a new constitution for the efficient running of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The association also berated the government over the plan to sell the nation’s refineries, saying the hand-over of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, to those who bought, has not justified any improvement in the energy sector.
NBA said the sale of the refineries must be resisted by well meaning Nigerians because the proceeds from the sales might be eventually shared among the public office holders and their political cronies.