Renown Nigerian lawyer, Mike Ozekhome SAN, has said the country does not need to waste time and resources holding another national conference when the one former President Jonathan convoked in 2014, is yet to be implemented.
Ozekhome who's statement came in response to calls by 17 Southern Governors, asking for President Buhari to convoke another confab, said he was part of the last confab, and believes if the over 200 recommendations made during the won't be enough to address the issues troubling the country, then another conference won't change anything.
Ozekhome stated this on Thursday at a Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) event in Anambra State.
“I was at the 2014 national conference headed by late Justice Idris Kutigi. The over 200 recommendation we made at that conference was yet to be touched.
“The recommendations of the conference that consisted of 492 Nigerians, drawn from all strata, has never been touched by this government, even with a 10-foot pole. So, when I heard the 17 Southern governors talking about another conference, I knew they meant well for the country, but we do not need another dialogue.
“Let them go to the 2014 recommendations, they will see that we recommended state police, we recommended part-time legislature. The constitution made the sitting of members of the national assembly six months, but they are receiving fat salaries.
“What are we doing with 306 House of Representatives members? What are we doing with 109 senators, what are we doing with them? Why not make it a unicameral legislature or part-time so that those who are genuinely interested can come and serve the nation, sit and go. We can’t grow like this,” Ozekhome stated.