About the SNC

By: Prof. Mobolaji E. Aluko
For SNC Now! Movement

For about the past ten years now, the issue of the convenance of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), or a Conference of Nigerian Nationalities, has seized the imagination of Nigerians.

It began with a Movement for National Reformation (MNR) document released by Chief Enahoro in 1991, and reached a crescendo during the Abacha regime of 1993-1998.

More recently, calls for it have risen to new heights under the Obasanjo administration, an indication that all is still not well with our polity, despite our current civilian dispensation.

Thus, a number of individuals have been consistent throughout in calling for this SNC as a precursor to the formulation of a "popular" National Constitution (popular in the sense of "approved via referendum", and hence owned by the people it governs) that will lead to a re-structured, truly and fiscally federal union called Nigeria.

In fact, ALL the Western zone Houses of Assemblies have since passed resolutions in support of the SNC, and AD Senator Okunroumu's valiant attempt to introduce an SNC motion in the Senate late in 1999 was beaten back.

House of Representative member Hon. Tony Anyiam recently introduced a similar resolution in the lower house.

There are various strong OFFICIAL forces against the SNC in Nigeria. Those who are in favor of retaining the status quo in Nigeria and know that a successful outcome of an SNC might upturn the apple-cart seem not favor it and in fact work hard against it. Those who believe that they have already gotten what they might have wanted from the SNC see no reason why they should give others that advantage. So why would they bother about an SNC to give others what they pine for?

There are others who are deeply suspicious of the hidden agenda of those who vociferously are for the SNC, believing that it is the first bus-stop to secession in the country.

The Obasanjo administration - or more accurately, President Obasanjo himself, despite earlier support for it before assuming the presidency, pre-imprisonment - has expressed deep opposition to the SNC, using the red herring that the Executive and the National Legislature are in place to do what an SNC would do, and that there cannot be "two sovereigns" in a country.

This is despite the fact that submissions taken around the country by the Presidential Constitutional Review Committee established by President Obasanjo himself showed overwhelming support for the SNC.

This presidential committee, along with the Joint Assembly Constitutional Review Committee of the National Assembly, could be properly regarded as attempts to by-pass a popular SNC.

With the above introduction, and our assuredness of the imperative of an SNC, the questions we wish this SNC forum to address are simple:

• "What is now to be done to actualise an SNC?" and

• "What will I do to assist in actualizing it?"

We seek your enlightened input.

At the same time, we urge you to avail yourselves of all the resources which we put together herein - and which will be updated periodically - so as to make an informed judgement concerning the SNC and the future of our country.

May God Bless Nigeria!
January 2001