Ngige Dismisses National Conference, If Politicized

                                            

 Senator Chris Ngige representing Anambra Central in the National Assembly has said that the National Conference would be a waste of time if the nominees are politicizing it.

Senator Ngige lamented that Seven Billion of tax payers money would be spent on talking pointing out that lodging people in expensive hotels for talks is not worth it.

He is of the opinion that the talks would not yield fruits at the end o the day.

Ngige who spoke to newsmen recently in Anambra said: ‘’Well, I will start by saying that I have reserved comments on the confab because for me, I know it is waste of time, energy and resources of the country because I have studied the formats and templates for the confab and I cannot see anything different from the Obasanjo 2004 – 2005 confab which at the end of the day produced nothing. If you remember very well, I was the Governor then and I gave nomination of people who went for the confab.

‘’The President did   his own nomination, at the end of the day they met, so, for me, instead of wasting time and money and energy, they should go and dust up the Obasanjo confab now that they have said they are going for the confab, they should find those recommendations of Obasanjo’s confab in addition with the Electoral Reform for these new people to look at for only one week and make their contributions and go. Camping people in cozy hotels in Abuja is not the answer.

‘’However, it is good to talk but to go and spend seven billion naira for talking is an expensive talk because it will yield no fruit. You also know that whatever the confab produces, it has to pass through the process of constitutional amendments which is again where the National Assembly comes in to play.

The Anambra APC Senator further said: ‘’If you do any recommendations, that section of the constitution must be amended, and the only authority conferred with the powers to  amend the constitution as it is today is the National Assembly and different state Houses of Assembly, concurring with National Assembly with 2/3 of their membership, that is the only way you can amend the constitution.

        ‘’  So, for those who shout that they want a new constitution, yes , for you to get that, the National Assembly has to put a repeal clause in the present  constitution by way of constitution amendment again in concurrence with the state Houses of Assembly. They will sack that clause so that whatever you bring can be put into the present constitution and say a replacement for the repeal clause. To that extent, all these have not been done, so it is a jaw-jaw.

On President Jonathan’s instruction that there would be no go areas, Ngige stated : ‘’ Well, bad and also good. Bad in the sense that people should be allowed to vent out their feelings. If you flog a child and say don’t cry, it is not right. Some people feel they have not been well treated in Nigeria federation, so those people have the right to cry and vent out their feelings.

‘’And again it is good in the sense that whatever we talk about, the indissolubility of Nigeria as an entity should be preserved, but if there are people who feel they want to be on their own, they should be allowed to voice their feelings and say why. So, that is why I told you, good and bad’’.