Kutigi extends Confab resumption date by one week

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi   with agency report

Indication emerged yesterday that the National Conference would not resume next week, due to inability of the conference’s secretariat to get the Confab draft report ready for deliberation and passage to the federal government.

To this end, the leadership of the conference has shifted the resumption date from 4th August to 11th August, to enable the secretariat tidy up the draft report of their deliberations, for onward transmission to the President.

In a letter, which the Chairman of the Conference wrote to the delegates, Justice Idris Kutigi explained that due to the secretariat’s inability to conclude its work, the earlier resumption date has been cancelled, as delegates are to resume on August 11.

In the letter, signed by the Assistant Secretary, Media and Communications, James Akpandem, the Confab leadership explained that the decision to extend the resumption date by one week was to prevent the delegates from returning to Abuja on August 4, since there are no necessary materials to conclude the session within the time frame specified in the work plan.

”To avoid a situation where delegates return to Abuja without having the necessary materials to conclude the session within the time frame specified in the work plan, conference maanagement decided to move the return date ahead by one week. Consequently, delegates are now required to return for certification of the Conference Report on Monday, August 11, 2014.

”This shift may not affect other schedules already set for the eventual winding up of the 2014 National Conference.

”While management appreciates the understanding and seeks further cooperation of distinguished delegates, it deeply regrets any inconvenience the shift is likely to cause them.”, it stated

It would be recalled that following some irreconcilable differences between Northern and Southern delegates, the Monday, July 14 plenary session came to a close without any agreement on the controversial issue of resource control and proposed five per cent national intervention fund for insurgency and internal conflicts.

It rather resolved that President Goodluck Jonathan should set up a technical committee to advise him on the sharing formula of revenue which accrues to the federation, the percentage of derivation to oil producing states, the mineral resources fund as well as the special fund for reconstruction and rehabilitation of areas affected by problems of insurgency and internal conflict.