64th Nigeria’s Independent: CDHR calls for Sovereign National Conference

By Clifford Ejenavi

Commemorating the 64th Nigeria’s independent anniversary, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), has called for Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to address the nation’s reality, challenges and building a better and stronger Nigeria.

The President of CDHR, Debo Adeniran, made the call at a press conference on Tuesday October 1, 2024 in Lagos.

According to him, the current constitution, which is the ground norm with which our individual and collective lives are being administered was foisted upon us by the military government, adding that it is on this note that they recommend government should convoke a Sovereign National Conference wherein every Nigerian voice would be directly represented and where a brand new Nigerian Constitution would evolve.

“Sovereign National Conference is the foundation of a true democracy and nationhood; without it we would only be living under self-denial in a mere political contraption without any true unifying factor and therefore signifying nothing but a keg of gunpowder waiting to explode”, the CDHR President stated.

Adeniran stated further that Nigerians are neither happy nor free after 64 years of political independence from Colonial Britain, stressing that the Nigerian masses are poor and hungry.

He also said since President Bola Tinubu resumed office, his administration has imposed unprecedented hardship on millions of Nigerians and pushed them into multi-dimensional poverty and monumental misery. He noted that many working families are at the point of starvation, stressing that several people have lost their jobs and lives. He also stated that the middle class has been destroyed, while the rate of suicide is increasing.

He maintained that sespite this, President Tinubu continued to drive forward criminal anti-human policies as shown by about 300 percent increase in petrol price in September 2024 compared to the situation in May 29, 2023.

“To this end, we want to call on the government to critically look into the following recommendations for urgent implementation:

(A) Nigeria is unnecessarily encumbered by the weight of its top-heavy and unwieldy system of government it enburdens itself with. Our government consists of three tiers of federal, state and local. Each tier consists of three arms, executive, legislative and judiciary. The federal legislature is bicameral with the Senate and House of Representatives. We would like to recommend that a unicameral legislature in the mold of House of Representatives is cheaper, easier to maintain and makes government business simpler and faster and should be adopted in Nigeria.

“At the end of the day, if Senate is more fashionable, they should name the National Assembly, Senate or simply make it National Assembly. Election of Members should be based on the same criteria upon which House of Representative Members were elected.

(B) It is also our recommendation that the three tiers of government be reduced to two; the federal and local governments. There is no need for state government. State governments are just discomfiting interlopers, whose roles can be better played as local government. State governments are the veritable excuses why local governments had not been functioning optimally. That is why state governments don’t want autonomy for local governments.

(C) We are aware that the constitution provides that at least one cabinet Minister should be appointed from each of the component states. Our recommendation is that Ministers and state Commissioners should also be elected by their respective states or constituencies same way that the federal and state legislators are respectively elected.

“The President should only have opportunities of appointing personal assistants and not even special advisers. Ministers should play the roles of advising the President on sectorial issues. The President and Ministers should only appoint few assistants whose emoluments would be borne by the government for himself and his ministers.

“Any public servant who wants more assistants should remunerate them from their personal resources. The President should nonetheless put a limit to the number of assistants employed for them.

(D) Release all #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance protesters, journalists, whistleblowers and other victims of state repression unconditionally.

(E) Reduce the cost of governance. Place all political office holders on the minimum wage. Scrap security vote and constituency allowances.

(F) Provide free and compulsory primary and secondary education for all Nigerian children. Reduce tertiary education school fees. Give Nigerian students grant and not loans.

(G) Immediate prosecution and jailing of all corrupt politicians, judges, police, public servants and state officials.

(H) Massive investment in public works, social infrastructure and industrialization to create decent jobs for all.

(I) Genuine electoral reform. For independent candidature, diaspora voting and a truly independent electoral body.

(J) Say no to IMF neo-liberal policies. Reverse hike in fuel price and electricity tariff back to pre-May 29, 2023 level. Make government-owned refineries work to guarantee affordable petroleum products.

(K) Reduce food prices and end hunger. Support farmers (with security, funds and farm inputs) to ensure sustainable food production.

(L) End insecurity, banditry, terrorism and violent crimes. Prosecute culprits and their sponsors. For a robust security architecture and adequate support for soldiers at the front and their families.”