Government Reaction
The Legislature

• Assembly gets bill on sovereign conference
  The Guardian
  Wednesday, November 22, 2000
  [excerpt] ABILL seeking the convocation of a National Conference has been gazzetted for legislative mention in the National Assembly. It is entitled: "A Bill for an Act to establish a National Conference on the Nigerian state and to rest it with the power of deliberating and making recommendations on all matters, relating to the Nigerian state". The Bill is sponsored by a member of the House of Representatives, Tony Anyanwu......full story

• Diverse Opinions Will Form New Constitution - Na'Abba
  Vanguard Daily (Lagos)
  November 16, 2000
  [excerpt] The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na'Abba yesterday said the wishes of the various people in the country would be carefully selected in order to produce a constitution that would galvanise the people of the country to live together in peace, equity and justice......full story

• Gowon Comes Under Attack - Hon Bewaji
  P.M. News (Lagos)
  October 25, 2000
  [excerpt] A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Wunmi Bewaji, has accused a former Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd) of being a ready tool in the hands of some "people who see Nigeria as the extension of their family compound", just as he mentioned that the Arewa group has a negative agenda......full story

• Abubakar Berates Proponents Of National Conference
  Vanguard Daily
  October 9, 2000
  [excerpt] "I find it impossible to accept the Sovereign National Conference principle as the solution to our problems. I agree that there are problems in our mutual co-existence, but we need to talk about those problems, that is indeed what it should be"......full story

• I subscribe to a sovereign national conference -Hon Hussein
  Vanguard
  Transmitted FRIDAY, 16th JUNE, 2000
  [excerpt] Fantastic! Fantastic in the sense that after the exit of the military, which ruled for more than a decade, they left behind dilapidated infrastructure and despondent people; but with the new democratic setting, we are moving in the right direction. Though, it might take us some time before getting it right, both the National Assembly and the executive are doing their best to set things right......full story

• Assembly Sets Up 30-Man Committee On Constitution Review
  This Day (Lagos)
  May 19, 2000
  [excerpt] A 30-man joint committee has been set up by the National Assembly to review the 1999 Constitution. Disclosing this at yesterday's sitting, the Senate President, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, said that the joint committee, which is made up of fifteen members from each of the two chambers will be chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Haruna Abubakar......full story

• Sovereign National Conference Opponents Are Political Illiterates - Afikuyomi
  The News (Lagos)
  April 3, 2000
  [excerpt] "As far as I am concerned, these are People's Democratic Party (PDP) members, I am not involved in any PDP thing. As all of us have seen today, the PDP is a party that cannot be a party. And like we have said before, it is a collection of people who are interested in having political power by whatever means possible"......full story

• 'I Stand By My Words' - Senator Okunrounmu
  The News (Lagos)
  March 27, 2000
  [excerpt] "Well, I think there is a misconception of what we did in passing the Anti-corruption Bill. When people talk about the removal of presidential immunity and that of the governors and their deputies, we believe it is because they do not understand what we have done. It would be unconstitutional to remove the immunity because the constitution grants it. So, we did not remove their immunity per se".....full story

• Ike Nwachukwu Supports Confederacy
  PostExpress 03/29/2000
  [excerpt] FORMER External Affairs minister, General Ike Nwachukwu (retd), has supported the call for a confederate Nigeria made recently by South-eastern governors and Ohanze Ndigbo. Speaking with The Post Express Midweek at the weekend in Abuja, the ex-minister explained that such an arrangement would end the continued enslavement of the Igbo race in the country. According to him, Igbos were not well integrated into the affairs of the nation, noting that the race continued to suffer attacks at the slightest provocation by their neighbours......full story

• National Assembly Rules Out Sovereign Conference
  PostExpress 12/04/99
  [excerpt] THE National Assembly on Thursday foreclosed any call for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), describing it as a call for a dual sovereignty. Rather, the Legislature said that given its constitutional rights, the extant 1999 Constitution would be reviewed, as memoranda are welcomed from the public.....full story

• Ekiti Assembly adopts motion on sovereign conference
  The Guardian (NIG), November 23, 1999
  [excerpt] EKITI State House of Assembly has passed a motion calling on the Federal Government to convene a sovereign national conference (SNC) as a prelude to building a true federal system in the country. Moving the motion, the House Majority Leader, Mr. Akinbowale Ayodele-Omole said the present federal arrangement is not only fraudulent; but does not meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.....full story

• Afenifere explains insistence on restructuring
  The Guardian (NIG), November 17, 1999
  [excerpt] LEADERS of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, have explained its renewed call for a restructuring of the country as Osun legislators passed a resolution seeking the rejection of the 1999 Constitution. Afenifere leader, Chief Abraham Adesanya and former presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae, who spoke in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, noted that restructuring of the federation was essential for the survival of democracy......full story