Oborevwori calls for national conference to address national challenges
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori yesterday called for the convening of a national conference to tackle the challenges of inclusive governance. He warned against designing a national dialogue for resolving
- Why Nigeria doesn’t need another confab, by Okunnu
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori yesterday called for the convening of a national conference to tackle the challenges of inclusive governance.
He warned against designing a national dialogue for resolving ad hoc crises, urging the country to embrace periodic, structured and recurring engagements.
The governor proposed the confab in a lecture titled: Inclusive Governance and National Unity: Lessons from Delta State for A United Nigeria, he delivered as part of the centenary anniversary of the Chief Olawumi Gasoer-led Yoruba Tennis Club in Lagos.
But the club’s vice patron, Chief Femi Okunnu, a former Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing, said there is no longer a need for such a national gathering to proffer solutions to the nation’s challenges.
He warned that it may pale into a jamboree.
Oborevwori insisted that the national conference should be backed by law as a forum for the assessment of nation-building.
He said: “One of the most practical pathways towards achieving inclusive governance and strengthening national unity in Nigeria is the institutionalisation of a periodic national conference of stakeholders.
“Rather than treating national dialogue as an ad hoc response to a crisis, Nigeria must embed structured, recurring engagement into its governance architecture.
“This conference should bring together a broad spectrum of stakeholders—federal and state actors, traditional rulers, private sector leaders, civil society organisations, youth representatives, women’s groups, and marginalised communities.”
Oborevwori said the objective of the conference is not merely discussion but systematic review and recalibration of national priorities, particularly in relation to inclusivity, regional development, and equitable distribution of resources.
The governor stressed that the conferences should be designed around clear, measurable goals, like the assessment of inclusivity in governance, regional development audit, policy feedback, conflict prevention, and trust-building.
He added: “Implementation is vital in ensuring that these stakeholders’ engagements yield the necessary results.”
Shedding light on his proposed conference, Oborevwori said it should hold every 10 years to ensure continuity without governance fatigue.
On the thematic focus area, he said: “Each session should prioritise key issues, such as fiscal federalism, security, youth unemployment, and regional infrastructure gaps.”
The governor said a non-partisan body to track implementation of the resolutions and publish an annual progress report should constitute the secretariat.
Emphasising the importance of legislative backing, Oborevwori said: “Outcomes should not remain recommendations; they should feed directly into legislative and executive action.
“By institutionalising this periodic national conference and implementation structure, we can move from reactive governance and proactive nation-building.”
According to him, Nigeria needs to forge ahead with a national consensus, grounded on the enduring pillars of mutual respect, shared prosperity, fairness, and justice.
He said: “This approach charts the course towards a more unified, prosperous, and greater Nigeria.
“Such an outcome is feasible; thus, in our respective endeavours, we all must embrace it by transcending ethnic, religious, and cultural biases while championing the unifying values and ideals that bind us together.”
Opposing the governor’s position, Okunnu said: “A national conference is a bloody waste of time. I took part in the making of the 1979 Constitution. In the time of President Olusegun Obasanjo, he called another national conference. I was honoured by former Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be the leader of Lagos delegates at the conference. We spent about six months dialoguing.
“Nigeria does not need any new Constitution. Tell me: which country revises its constitution every 10 years? A constitution is what a country needs to govern. There is no national conference in the United States, the United Kingdom (UK), and Germany.
“A national conference is not necessary. America thrives on its constitution. America came into existence about three centuries ago. England has no written constitution. England is ruled by convention and practices. Germany has a constitution but no revision. We are already a united country. What individuals in government are doing is different.
“We don’t need any dialogue. It is a jamboree that will not achieve anything. Listen to the voice of a 93-year-old who has seen it all.”
Okunnu added: “We don’t need this repeated constitution-making conference. What we need in Nigeria is good governance, not constitution-making.”
The elder statesman also urged governors to foster inclusion by appointing more women to positions.
He said: “Appoint 50 per cent women in your Executive Council (Exco) because they form 50 per cent of the population.”
