National Conference chairman, Idris Kutigi, has described the recent National Conference he presided as the most arduous in the country’s history.
Mr Kutigi was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Conference in Abuja as he presented the report to President Goodluck Jonathan.
The chairman said: “In the post-independence history of Nigeria, there have been four Conferences, including this 2014 National Conference; however, Mr. President, our own task has been the most arduous’.
“The following statistics graphically illustrates this. The 1978 Constituent Assembly had a membership of 230 people and met for 9 months.
“The 1995 National Constitutional Conference had a membership of 371 people and met for twelve (12) months. The 2005 National Political Reform Conference was made up of 400 delegates and met for 5 months. We are 494 in membership and you made us do all this work in four and half months.”
He continued and noted that the Confab debates were robust and hot tempered as he expected but “we overcame all the obstacles in our way.”
“Mr. President, we did not try to ignore or bury our differences. We addressed these differences while respecting the dignity of those holding these differences and sought to construct solutions which would become building blocks for a just and stable nation,” he said.
“Mr. President, we approved over 600 resolutions; some dealing with issues of law, issues of policy and issues of constitutional amendments. These resolutions did not deal with frivolous or inconsequential issues. We showed courage in tackling substantial and fundamental issues.”
He added: “Not once did we have to vote or come to a division. This is a message that we wish the world to hear loud and clear.
Nigerians are capable of not only discussing their differences but are also capable to coming up with solutions to these difficulties.”
Mr. Kutigi is a former Chief Justice of Nigeria. He has lost his wife to the cold hands of death during the National Conference, but he still pushed on and completed his work.
The ex Chief Justice also gave tributes to four of the delegates who died during the pendency of the Conference.
He listed them as Hamma Misau who died on March 27; Mohammad Jumare who died on May 5; Dora Akunyili, on June 7; and Mohammad Nur Alkali, on August 1, 2014.
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