Assalamu alaikum,Governor Danjuma Goje of Gombe State has urged northerners at the National Political Reform Confe-rence not to support parliamentary system of government for now until the North enjoys executive system of government for eight years starting from 2007.
However, a former Agricul-ture Minister, Ambassador Hassan Adamu, has suggested a return to the parliamentary system of government in Nigeria, "this is based on the fact that the parliamentary system is less expensive, more effective and has excellent checking mechanisms."
Adamu, representing Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) at the ongoing conference, noted that "the Prime Minister cannot sack a cabinet member arbitrarily. He must first consult the affected person's constituency. The parliamentary system is less expensive, because it cuts down on the sizes of national and local representatives. Besides, there will be no need for councillors and chairmen at the local government level on a permanent basis."
Goje, while speaking during an interaction with the state delegates to the conference, said the North will be cheated if parliamentary system was introduced in the country's political system as from 2007.
According to him, since the South had commenced enjoying the presidential system, the North should also be allowed to enjoy it too for eight years.
He reiterated that the northern governors had taken stand on the rotational system of government, which the country is presently implementing and that it would be the turn of the North when the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo expires.
His words: "I will want our delegates not to support parliamentary system or any other system for now, for if we go for any other system, the North will be cheated. Since the South will enjoy the executive presidential system for eight years, let us, we in the North, enjoy it for another eight years. We should not support parliamentary system or any other system."
The governor believed that the problem of the North would be over when a northerner becomes the next president but urged northerners to exercise patience.
He said the North was clamoring for presidency to ensure equity and unity of the entire country, stating that the North was equally blessed with abundant human and natural resources that could pave way for the country to be self-reliant. He added that if Federal Government could fund Mambila power generation at a cost of about N4 billion naira, it could generate between 3,000 to 4,000 Megawatt of electricity.
"The North should also rely on Kainji and Shiroro Dams for power generation," he said, advising that the delegates not to support abolition of states, sensing it would retard the progress of states in the North-east sub-region.
"We cannot be talking of going to Maiduguri again," the governor stressed, explaining that with luck on side of northerners, the petroleum exploration in Bauchi and Gombe States would eventually become a success story.
Adamu noted that "such legislators will be paid only their sitting allowances. The system encourages professionals and self-employed persons to seek elective positions.
"Such people will not depend mainly on the spoils of office, because they already have jobs at hand. In our society, jobless and greedy persons are mostly the ones found killing themselves over public funds," he stressed.
He called for "the return of policemen at the local government level," saying "indigenous security personnel can more effectively curb crime in an area familiar to them, as opposed to the deployment of an Hausa man to a local Igbo or Yoruba terrain and vice visa."
I agreed with the position of Goje as regard the issue of Paliamentary system, although judging by the way the country is going, I think we may not escape going back to regionalism in the future. There's just too much bad feelings among the groups that made up the country. Unless may be soemthing drastic is done to curb the cronic corruption bedevilling the nation and reduce the feeing of marginalization among the populace.
But I don't think it is wise to support haing police at the local government level. I don't think we have the mental composure, sense of fairness and development for that. The police would just be selfishly misused by the powers that be. And yes, the north should pay much attention power generation. It could be a veritable source of income, nay development, for this part of the country if harnessed well.
Assalamu alaikum,
A member of the House of Representatives from Kano State, Alhaji Danlami Hamza, has accused President Olusegun Obasanjo of having bias against the core Moslem North. He said the composition of the membership of the ongoing national dialogue was a clear demonstration of Obasanjo's hatred of the nation's Moslems.
Hamza said with the way the Obasanjo nominated presidential delegates and appointment into the leadership of the conference, it was obvious that the dialogue was against the North.
According to him, the president's bias against the North was clearly reflected in his appointment of both the membership and leadership into the conference, pointing out that the whole thing was lopsided and designed to favour certain religion and section of the country.
Hamza insisted that until this in balance is addressed to ensure justice and fairness, the North would continue to threat the exercise as anti-Islam.
Responding to questions regarding the threat that the core North would pull out of the conference against the alleged marginalisation of Muslims, Hamza, who represents Fagge Federal Constituency, said: "I would not share this aspect with you people, we are working out something and at the appropriate time you will see our action".
He, however, noted that opposition against the conference was not a consensus decision by all members of the National Assemble. " Some members are against the conference, others are for it. So, it would be wrong to assume that we are all against it. This is democracy and if at the end of exercise the recommendations are brought before us, they would be treated on their merit because it is not every recommendation that will be in bad taste; we may still find something good that would benefit the Nigerian people at the end of the exercise," he said.
NATIONAL CONFAB
Obasanjo rebuffs muslim leaders
By Habeeb I. Pindiga, Political Reporter
President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday turned down a request by a high-powered delegation of 40 Muslim leaders to reconstitute the national political reform conference so that it reflects the nation's religious composition.
Obasanjo at a meeting behind closed doors reportedly told the delega-tion, which was led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido, that he never considered religion as a factor in putting together the conference.
The Muslim leaders comprising traditional rulers and Islamic scholars, under the auspices of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), were at the State House in Abuja to express their dismay with the lopsided composition of the conference's leadership and membership.
Daily Trust learnt that this was sequel to a meeting ear-lier held in Kaduna Tuesday, where it was resolved that the council should ask the president to nominate more Muslims into the conference.
A dependable source at the meeting told Daily Trust yesterday that the delegation protested to the president that though Muslims constitute 65 per cent of the nation's population, their representation in the confab was 160 against 233 Christians.
But an adamant Obasanjo reportedly told the gathering that he was "disappointed" that the Sultan has led such a "crowd" to him, when he (the president) had at an earlier meeting February 28 explained to the Sultan that religion was not part of the factors considered in nomina-ting delegates.
Daily Trust gathered that NSCIA secretary general, Dr. Lateef Adegbite who spoke on behalf of the group told Obasanjo that there was apprehension among Muslims that the conference, which is expected to take far reaching decisions, may not protect their interests since the composition and especi-ally leadership are slanted in favour of Christians.
He reportedly said since independence, no govern-ment has manifestly been unfair to Muslims in appoint-ments like the present one.
According to the NSCIA scribe, the source said, in the military, of the 19 army comm-anders only one is a Muslim, the remaining are Christians; of the 15 in the air force one is a Muslim and 14 are Chris-tians; among the 84 ambas-sadors, 50 are Christians and 34 are Muslims; of the 45 permanent secretaries, only 16 are Muslims; only 17 of the 41 ministers are Muslims and only four of the 46 heads of parastatals are Muslims.
Adegbite, Daily Trust learnt, suggested to the president that Muslims have run out of patience.
In his response, Obasanjo reportedly expressed dis-pleasure with the delegation, saying that since he had made his point to the Sultan, this visit was unnecessary.
According to the source, Obasanjo faulted some of the figures given, contending that "statistics can be dangerous".
He was also said to have reminded the delegation that there was a time when Nigeri-ans across religious divides voted for a Muslim-Muslim ticket and heavens did not fall.
Obasanjo was also said to have quoted the relevant sections to explain to the Muslim leaders that the constitution merely said federal character should be adhered to and that as far as he was concerned religion was not part of federal character.
Besides this, he said he was not responsible for nominating state delegates, and went on to mention states where he appointed only Muslims even though they had substantial number of Christians in their population.
On the 65 per cent Muslim composition as mentioned by Adegbite, Obasanjo said what was widely believed even internationally was that Nigeria is about the only nation with 50-50 Muslim-Christian population. He also emphasised that his only sister is a Muslim.
The president also faulted allegations that nobody had been punished for the Plateau religious clashes, saying 1,166 people had so far been arrested, 13 convicted and 47 are in court.
He, however, admitted according to our source that "well, we are not perfect. We may have made some mistakes, but we should show example to other countries that religion will not divide us."
At this point the delega-tion was said to have taken exception to Obasanjo's remark. An emir reminded the president that in a dialogue situation, there should be compromise. One of the emirs was also said to have flared up and asked the Sultan to tell the president that Muslim delegates would be asked to pull out of the conference.
He was said to have told the president that if he refused to bulge, there may be no peace.
At this point an appa-rently furious Obasanjo was said to have interrupted and said "I'm the chairman of this meeting. Enough is enough. Closing prayer."
At this point the Sultan asked Sheikh Shariff Saleh to say the prayers and the president afterwards stood up, shook only the hands of the Sultan and walked out of the room.
Besides Maccido, other tradition rulers on the entourage were the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero; Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Muhammad Kabir Usman; Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Mustapha El-Kanemi; Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Mustapha Jakolo; Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris; Olukare of Ikare; Oba of Agbede; Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Sulu Gambari; Emir of Yauri, Dr. Zaiyanu Abdullahi; and Etsu Nupe, Dr. Yahya Abubakar.
The Islamic scholars included Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, Sheikh Bashir Sambo, Sheikh Adam Isa Idoko, Sheikh Sanusi Gumbi, Sheikh Sharif Sale, Sheikh Ahmad T. Oriki, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Malam Ishak Sani and Malam Ismaila Khalifa.
Also present at the meeting were Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Governor Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa state; Governor Ahmed Sani of Zamfara state; Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed; Chief of Staff in the Presidency, General Abdullahi Mohammed; minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Nasiru el-Rufai and Presidential Assi-stant, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar.
Earlier the presidency had dropped 12 out of 52 names of the NSCIA delegation that asked to see the president. Among those not permitted into Aso Rock were Dr. Datti Ahmed, Mallam Nafiu Baba Ahmed the president and secretary of the Supreme Council for the Implemen-tation of Shariah and Sheikh Yakubu Musa, a Katsina-based cleric, who was once detained on suspicion of supporting "terrorist" activities.
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Source: Daily Trust, 10-03-05