U.S. don urges Buhari to implement 2014 confab report

Says it will address restructuring agitation
A University professor at the Northwestern University in the United States (U.S.), Prof. Richard Anthony Joseph, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to implement the report of the 2014 National Conference as a way of addressing the agitation for a true federalism.

Joseph, who stated this yesterday in Abuja at an interactive session organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) in collaboration U.S. Embassy, said the report of that conference would offer Nigeria the most effective solution to the calls for restructuring.

Presenting a paper titled “Affirming Democracy Amid Insecurity and Uncertainty”, Joseph said: “There was a great opportunity in 2014 when the national conference was held here in Nigeria and that conference came forward with a lot of recommendations. And so, that was an opportunity, which Nigerians had to discuss all of these issues relating to true federalism and restructuring among themselves and to go forward.

According to him, there was no need going back to repeat or convene another conference on the issue of restructuring.Joseph, who wondered why Nigerians spent more time building religious institutions without attempting to promote the basic institutions that could lead to real development, said: “Nigeria must move to the fore-front in the region, in the continent, and globally in interwoven ways: building effective state institutions, advancing democracy and democratising development.

“Why can Nigerians build and operate mega-churches but not quality public transport, public universities, public energy utilities and other service organisations?”
In his address, Director-General of NILS, Prof. Ladi Hamalai, urged lawmakers to carry members of the public along in passing legislations relating to security.

“Security policy cannot endure without the support of the public it is deemed to protect. Lawmakers should be and are at the forefront of this campaign for public support. They have the direct responsibility to explain and justify to their electorate why expenditure is necessary on security,” he said.