The National Conference yesterday terminated its plenary abruptly at 12 noon to continue with consultations and ways of reaching agreements on contentious issues and areas generating division and tension between the Northern and the Southern part of the country.
According to Chief Edwin Clark who spoke to selected journalists, the elders of the conference, former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Coomassie, former Minister of Information Prof Jerry Gana and an unnamed delegate from the North-East represented the North while former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen Ike Nwachukwu, former Finance Minster, Chief Olu Falae and himself (Clark) represented the South.
Clark noted that the essence of the meeting was to forge agreement on the areas generating tension among the delegates.
“We met; we said this is one country, we may have areas of disagreement but we belong to one country. Even at our level of maturity, age, experience we cannot formulate what should be agreed by all the sections, then we have failed.”
He stated that the elders of the conference had agreed to meet yesterday as the previous one was scuttled. “So we agreed. We sat down and said three, three members from each zone to represent the zones plus 18 members. We met last night and took a decision and discussed the issues that we are talking about. At the end of it all we are coming to an agreement but we couldn’t finish.
“That is why we came back; it was decided to inform the house that discussion continues. So we have allowed them to go to conclude on what is good for Nigeria and what is good for the various components of Nigeria. We need one another to live in this country. Like I have always said, we are all the same, we are equal and we should be friendly with one another. We have no other place to go to,” he noted.
Issues still generating disagreement in the conference included creation of states, removal of local governments from the exclusive list and the derivation principle.
