By Gbenga Olagunju: Nigeria.

Nigerians have always agitated for political reform. The latest effort towards this objective is a committee led by Retired Mr. Justice Niki Tobi as chairman and Rev. Mathew Kukah, secretary of the Nigerian Political Reforms Conference (NPRC)

The conference is meeting Abuja. Its task is to address questions about the present political structure in Nigeria.

Some of the issues to be discussed at the NPRC are very sensitive and potential divisive They include federalism, regional government, power sharing, resources control, among others.

Some Nigerians believe the delegates to the NPRC will achieve the objectives of political reform.

However, other Nigerians see the NPRC as a waste of our scarce resources and duplication of ideas and even redundant.

Our political structures have the people’s representatives
in the two National Assemblies. Yet others still see
some of our elected State/National Assembly members as a betrayal of
trust.

Now with the submission of report of sub-committee on National
political reform conference to the confab chairman, the confab look s
curious, fueling fears that the plenary session that is about to begin
may be chaotic and confab fruitless.

But some delegates interviewed by one weekly magazine said, “We are serious here and the report that will be submitted will benefit most Nigerians.”

But it is now well clear that there is need for the political will
of this country to redress the missing link in Nigerian political
reform and be sincere to ourselves to address the inequalities,
unfairness and injustice that have been entrenched into our
political/economic structure of Nigeria, which I referred to as
missing link in Nigerian political reform.

These reforms are necessary to address not only the economy
but also social and cultural gap needed to be bridged. Out
of many political reforms suggested by governments in the past 45 years for sustainable co-existence, Nigerians
as one Nation, what Nigeria say  without peace and sincerity of purpose there is no stability, and without both, there ire no enabling conditions for sustainable development which all our people deserve  and are desperately yearning for.

The gap between the rich and the poor is so wide that it places poverty in Nigeria at the top of the national agenda.
Nigerians expect from the NPRC sincerity, truthfulness and,
above all, for the conference to urgently restore our Father Land,
Nigeria which is said to be flowing with milk and honey to the path
of sustainable peace and prosperity.