Confab forced to adjourn over inability of leadership to conclude work on Committee allocation
The National Conference was forced to adjourn after about two hours of sitting on Monday following the inability of its leadership to place members into the 20 standing committees it proposed to facilitate its assignment.
The Chairman, Idris Kutigi, announced the adjournment till Tuesday evening (4 p.m.) and apologised to the delegates for the failure to complete the composition of the Committees.
The Conference had during its first week of sitting created 20 committees into which the 497 delegates will be appointed.
The committees are Devolution of Powers; Political Restructuring and Forms of Government; National Security; Environment; Politics and Governance; Law, Judiciary; Human Rights and Legal Reform; Social Welfare; and Transportation.
Others are Science, Technology and Development; Agriculture; Civil Society, Labour and Sports; Public Service; Electoral Matters; Foreign Policy and Diaspora Matters; Land Tenure Matters and National Boundary; Trade and Investment; Energy; Religion; Public Finance and Revenue Generation; and Immigration.
According to the Conference’s work plan, the membership of the Committee would have been announced on March 27. However, the discussion of President Goodluck Jonathan’s address, which had been slated for only two days (March 25 and 26) took about three weeks.
“We’re still working on the Committees and by tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon session, delegates would know which committees they belong,” Mr. Kutigi said with an apology to delegates
However, delegates unanimously agreed to adjust the work plan at Monday’s sitting before discussing the issues to be discussed under each committee.
During the debate on the issue, some delegates said the number of the committees were too large and suggested that it should be pruned.
A former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Olisa Agbakoba, called for the adoption of only four committees instead of the 20, saying as a member of Vision 2020, he was aware that some issues listed for discussion at the Committee level had been adequately taken care of.
The civil society delegates said the four Committees could create subcommittees to take care of issues under them.
Also, an elder statesman from Ogun State, Ayo Adebanjo, called for the reduction of the committees, but was told outright by Mr. Kutigi that there was no need pruning the number.
A delegate, Rotimi Oladele, said because of its importance to the development of the country, education should be taken away from the Committee on Science, Technology and Development and given a separate committee.
Mr. Oladele also frowned at the way issues relating to the media industry were distributed into different committees, noting that advertising, and public relations could be relegated to the background.
However, Mike Ahamba, an elder statesman from Imo State, said rather than adjusting the issues,, the committees could be asked to discuss “any other matters.”
He expressed worry that the Conference was wasting time and then suggested that “committee work should get more time.”
Another delegate demanded the setting up of a Business Committee to liaise between the leadership and the Standing Committees.
Before he called for the motion for adjournment, Mr. Kutigi ruled that committees could discuss “any other related matters.”
