Buhari should heed calls for implementation of 2014 National Conference reports – Ukweni, SAN

A legal luminary, Barrister Mba Ekpezu Ukweni, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently heed to the call from South South Senators on the 2014 National Conference report.
He said the President should convoke a meeting of National Assembly leadership, Governors and Leaders of the State Houses of Assembly to commence the implementation of its recommendations.

Speaking to DAILY POST on Monday, the SAN said “What was the real essence of setting up the national conference, spending money to hold a conference, if the government was not honest to implement reports the conference was going to come up with.
“If the Senators were courageous enough to ask the President to convoke a meeting to implement the report, he should do that. If the Senate, as the highest law making body in the country, could come up with that position, the executive arm of government has no reason not to respect their view.
“The Senate President was there as well as other key officers. The Executive arm of the government has to respect the view of the Senators. The Senate President spoke in support of restructuring, he is in agreement with that.
“From the time the white came here to colonized us, to the time of amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates, to the time when various constitution were made, the Macpherson constitution up to 1960 constitution, 1963 constitution, 1979 constitution and now the 1999 constitution, they all amounted to restructuring.

On the position of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who said there was no need for restructuring because the constitution has provided a frame work, Ukweni said “In fairness to him, he has not taken into consideration the fact that a country like Nigeria is a dynamic organism and every dynamic organism must look for a change.
“If we don’t make room for a change and we don’t toward it, then we are preparing ourselves for a revolution. There are many Nigerians who do not know the content of that report, it has not been made public. Our position is that the report should be made public and implemented.”