Delegates at the ongoing national conference in Abuja can’t stop being funny. From complaints of inadequate food supply to recognition of titles and honors as prefaces to their names in the official minutes and records, the complaints took another dimension yesterday with a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Mrs. Virgy Etiaba leading the complaints of lack of tissue papers in the toilets. Hardly had the opening formalities begun than Etiaba raised an observation call. Granted, she told the conference that there were no tissue papers in the rest rooms.

Chief Uzoma Nwosu-Iheme, a delegate representing Imo State in the ongoing National Conference in this interview, expresses optimism that the confab would pull Nigeria out of the doldrums. He also spoke on other issues.

MORE delegates at the National Conference, yesterday, described the Federal Government as being too powerful and called for drastic devolution of powers to the federating units.

LESS than two weeks after his comment that he would lead his people to join the Republic of Cameroon if Nigeria disintegrates generated furore in the polity, the Lamido of Adamawa, Dr Muhammadu Barkindo Mustapha, again, told southern resource control agitators to be ready to forfeit their land in all parts of the North, especially Abuja, if their aspiration sailed through.

ABUJA—WITH clear unanimity, delegates, yesterday, decried the increasing rate of insecurity and corruption in the country, noting that unless these two problems were adequately tackled, the country’s search for peace might remain elusive.

PRofessor Gordini Darah, a delegate representing Delta State at the National Conference teaches English and Literary Studies at the Delta State University, Abraka.

A former Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Guardian Newspapers, he also served as chief of staff to the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori. He spoke to Vanguard on his expectations from the National Conference.

Praising President Goodluck Jonathan by delegates to the National Conference in their opening statements has triggered the question on their sincerity.

I think this is a make or mar conference for Nigeria. I appeal to all delegates to understand the urgency of this period. Our country is falling apart. We need to put things right. Nobody should come to this conference with any sense of arrogance. We must not negotiate out of fear. We must come as equal partners to the Nigerian project and shed all our prejudices.

Ibuchukwu Ezike is the Executive Director, Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO. He, along with three others was nominated by the South-East Coalition of Civil Society Groups, made up of over 70 civil society organisations that met in Enugu to nominate four delegates to the confab.

Chief Goody Uwazurike is the President of Aka Ikenga, the think-tank of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo. A lawyer, he is also a delegate to the on going National Conference in Abuja. In this interview,with Levinus Nwabuchiogu he reacts to Professor Ben Nwabueze’s position on the conference, describing it as petty.

Nigerians who believed that the labour movement had gone to permanent sleep were in for a shocker yesterday when the top hierarchy of the labour movement at the conference surfaced.

With delegates continuing to groan over the shortage of food at lunchtime, the conference secretariat is now considering monetizing the food.

Debate on President Goodluck Jonathan’s inauguration speech continued at the National Conference yesterday with delegates noting that Nigeria sat on a time bomb factored by high level unemployment, insecurity, corruption, and religious intolerance.

The rush by delegates to attend the marriage ceremony of a daughter of President Goodluck Jonathan raised unease among some delegates who frowned that conferees abandoned national issues for socializing.

A CONSTITUTION that will outlast its makers must derive from collective ambitions that are not driven by immediate, or merely alimentary, concerns! Unity is not enough. Nor welfare. A good constitution must seek a shared future, based on justice and a common, benign morality. It is such a constitution that we seek as a syllabus of ideals into the next Nigerian century. And beyond.