‘Why Jonathan Couldn't Implement Recommendations of Sovereign Nat'l Conference’, Nigerian Separatist Speaks
- A well-known Nigerian separatist and businessman, Princewill Richards, has revisited the 2014 national conference held in Abuja
- Richards said that former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, discarded the recommendations of top citizens who attended the conference because he was not courageous enough
- The essence of the 2014 Confab was to encourage a healthy conversation among the populace, address the queries agitating the mind of Nigerians and mend fences, where possible
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Obigbo, Rivers state - Although former president Goodluck Jonathan once said he did not have enough time to implement the report of the 2014 national conference, Nigerian separatist, Princewill Richards, has argued that the erstwhile Nigerian leader was only "afraid" to apply the recommendations of the Confab.
Speaking to Legit.ng on Tuesday, June 20, Richards said after the conference, some top Nigerians were keen on the unity of the country, which they allegedly said is "non-negotiable".
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"Jonathan had the opportunity to approve true federalism": Richards
Richards, a son of the Late Richard Ekegbu, Eze Ndigbo in Obigbo, Rivers state, was reacting to a statement by a prominent Niger Delta monarch, King Charles Ayemi-Botu, who, according to Vanguard, said Jonathan bungled Nigeria’s expiration in 2014.
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Recall that after the national conference of that year, the delegates passed more than 600 resolutions and produced a 10,335-page report, which was submitted to Jonathan, who promised to implement them, but never did.
Richards told Legit.ng:
"I agree with all he (King Botu) said. He is a man of wisdom, he understands the system.
"True federalism is not far from what Odumegwu Ojukwu demanded during the Aburi Accord. Every region managing their resources would have harmonised things in Nigeria today. Every region would have been competitive for development, but today they take our resources to develop a particular region."
He continued:
"Jonathan had the opportunity to approve true federalism, he organised a sovereign national conference where every ethnic group tendered their demands. I was part of Igbo international colloquium that year where we selected our delegates, I represented Late Debe Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ojukwu's first son in the committee. Later we started hearing that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable. So why did you call it 'sovereign'?
"At the end, he (Jonathan) could not implement the recommendations of the conference.
"He was afraid, so he had to let the interest of the north supersede others."
Richards stated that he is still pressing for Biafra secession because that is "the only solution" to the woes of the people of his region.
Jonathan reveals who predicted he would become Nigeria's president
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Jonathan said the late first President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, accurately predicted his (Jonathan's) presidency 17 years ago, when such a feat seemed unattainable.
Jonathan made this revelation during a keynote address at the second Kenneth Kaunda public lecture organized by the Kenneth Kaunda Children of Africa Foundation in Pretoria, South Africa.
Source: Legit.ng
