Why Nigeria should not push its luck, by Bolaji Akinyemi

*Says those asking for SNC are  not lunatics *Speaks on the fears and grievances of nationalities I am aware of the genesis of the concept of Sovereign National Conference and the fact that the term sovereign had come in public perception to signify the exercise of governmental powers even while a government is in place. However, as a political scientist, I also know that the same term could evolve into a modified concept in a different political environment depending on the historical peculiarities of that environment. The history of Nigeria under military rule had been one of the military government in place changing the provisions of the draft constitution agreed upon at a constitutional conference and incorporating its own views in the final version. It is against this background that proponents of the Sovereign National Conference have argued that what Sovereign connotes in this context is that any constitutional draft agreed to by the National Conference will not be subject to amendments by any other body. It will only be subject to a national referendum.

To my understanding, the Nigerian proponents of the Sovereign National Conference had never intended for the Conference to exercise some or all the powers of the government of the day. But William Shakespeare solved the problem when he wrote “what is in a name. A rose by any other name will still smell a rose.” And so I propose that the term sovereign be dropped from the demand for a Sovereign National Conference provided there is an understanding that the outcome of such a conference will not be subject to any amendments or adjustments by the government of the day. continued