It is said that when the time for an idea comes no force can stop it. For the Nigerian ruling class, the idea of a sovereign national conference, SNC, was viewed as treasonous just 20 years ago.

SNC, along with such progressive concepts as “true federalism” (or decentralisation of political power to the federating unit), was seen as cleverly and cowardly dressed-up ploy towards secession or disintegration of Nigeria.

This ruling class, which emerged after the civil war (and is firmly rooted in the North), has always asserted with arrogant and bombastic aplomb, that Nigeria is “an indivisible, indissoluble nation under God”.

Things appear to be changing rapidly in the direction of a national conference to examine the reason the nation is not working effectively. Some of the foot soldiers of the establishment, who fought in the war front to bring about the current order, are voicing their support for change.

Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, surprised many in 2010 when he was aspiring for president when he supported devolution of powers.

Also, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retired) has dissolved his Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, into the All Progressives Congress, APC, thus lying on the same bed with the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, a political party founded on the Awoist principles of “true federalism”.

The new thing in town is that the drivers of the current administration appear seriously inclined towards a national conference. Penultimate Sunday, The Guardian reported in its lead story that President Goodluck Jonathan might succumb to pressure to get the conference going any time from now.

However, the most telling signposting towards a national conference came from the President of the Senate, David Mark on Tuesday, September 17, 2013. In the keynote address to open the new legislative session, he dwelt at length on the need for a national “conference of ethnic nationalities”.

I considered that speech epochal, coming from Mark. He is one of the younger faces of the ruling establishment who had, before now, kicked against every attempt to tamper with the shape of things as we know it. Mark, even as President of the Senate, has stiffly gone against the idea of a conference as well as vehemently opposing the establishment of state police. But just before the long recess of the National Assembly, Mark was on record saying he had started seeing the need for state police.

I am willing to believe that Mark’s call for national conference is a kite-flying gambit that is not coming from him alone. It is likely he is doing so on behalf of the ruling party, with President Jonathan in the background. Perhaps, if it goes down well with the generality of Nigerians, the President is likely to come out openly with something along that line. When he will do so we wait to see.

But I hope he will not be doing it in response to personal political pressures. That would be Obasanjo all over again, and we know what became of Obasanjo’s conference when he wrapped his selfish interests around it.

Unavoidable

It has become clear to everybody that we can no longer sidestep a national conference at this time in our history. Forty three years after the Nigerian civil war, everybody is unhappy. Everybody is complaining. There is no Nigerian group that regards itself as privileged; not even those (especially the North) whom the system was carefully configured to benefit most.

In spite of the fact that the North has been awarded “majority” status in the population, given the largest number of states, local governments, electoral wards, federal constituencies and thereby collected by the far the largest amount of federally allocated funds, it is still the poorest region.

The grinding poverty has driven its youth nuts and some of them have turned to religious extremism and terrorism to get back at the system. The Igbos have fought and lost the Biafran war.

The Yorubas fought and lost the June 12 struggle, but had the presidency given to them through one of their rejected sons, Olusegun Obasanjo. It was a slap in the face, but because the gift was President, Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the person given the gift was an Oodua son, they took it and were mollified, which is not the same thing as being satisfied.

The Niger Delta fought an armed struggle for resource control and was forced to accept amnesty in return for unconditional surrender. But they were also fortunate to suddenly find the presidency falling onto their laps. Still, there are clear signs that the lull in the creeks is but a mere ceasefire as the zone is not done with their quest for “resource control”.

With such a high level of pervasive unhappiness across the table, the only viable peaceful means of solving the problem is a national constitutional conference. The conservatives ruling Nigeria always insist that Nigeria will work if we get “good leaders”.

But the system has proved itself incapable of throwing up good leaders since the ruling class will not allow a leader who will upset their applecart to take over.

It is also clear that the seriously faulty Constitution we operate cannot be remedied through amendments. Every attempt to amend the Constitution ultimately renders it more convoluted. We spend valuable time and lots of money only to come back to square one.

A new constitution at this time will enable us to put the first century of Nigerian history characterised by national instability and discontent behind. It will give us a clean slate to fashion a new order by ourselves, rather than having colonial or military dictatorship breathing down our necks as we discuss.

It is a real opportunity for us to evolve a constitution that we can boldly preamble with the magical words: “We, the people of Nigeria…”.

The second century of my dreams is one in which we, the people of Nigeria, will be governed in a system not dominated by sectional, ethnic or religious super master. It is one in which the Nigerian citizen will be truly free to live out the best of his life’s potentials without being hampered because of the peculiarities of his origin. It a new century in which Nigerians, as one people will stand together and march towards the great future for which we are destined.

Indeed, as Israeli General Ehud Barak said when he recently visited Nigeria: “when we stand together, no force on earth can stop us”!

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Read this article in the Vanguard Newspapers