Eighty–five years after the unsolicited amalgamation of the Southern and Northern regions by Lord Lugard to create the Nigerian state, Sir Peters Smith, a British veteran diplomat made a very revealing statement. In his statement, he said that the view of the Secretary of State, with which he agreed, was that in Nigeria they should attempt to put together a large and powerful state with ample material resources which would play a leading part in the affairs of the continent and of the world. He went on to say that the view was attractive, but it involved forcing different ethnic and cultural groups into a single political structure. (Culled from “To Save Nigeria” by Goddy Onyefuru)

By the construct of the British colonialists, to say that Nigeria today is a powerful country with great potentials would definitely be an understatement. However, the country’s greatness remains to be seen only on the surface. Beneath, she is merely a collection of incongruous and bellicose groups of people held together by a fragile constitution. What this means is that while Nigeria looks like an imposing edifice, it’s precariously resting on a shaky foundation. Over the years, various leaders have tried to solidify this shaky foundation through frequent enactment of policies and occasional revision of the sacred constitution. But the more the leaders tried, the more the various groups seem to become unsatisfied, irate and intolerant of each other. This has given rise to an increase in heinous acts of terrorism, kidnapping, religious and ethnic violence, massive corruption, treasonable statements and agitations from ethnically polarised militant groups. And drawing example from countries such as Sudan and Yugoslavia, these incidents may just be a prelude to what would become a regrettable disintegration of the country.

It's on this troubling note that when Gani Fawehinmi on March 22, 2000 made his famous speech on the need and importance of convening a national conference, he expressly spoke the minds of Nigerians who aspire for prosperity, peace and posterity. He went on to profess that “the primary duty of the national conference is to address and find solutions to the key problems afflicting Nigeria since 1914 till date.” He said that, “The concern is to remove all obstacles which have prevented Nigeria from establishing political justice, economic justice, social justice, cultural justice, religious justice and to construct a new constitutional framework in terms of the system of government.” In other words, the national conference is another justified attempt to revise the constitution in order to reflect changes in dynamics and to accommodate the grievances from the various groups. It’s also an opportunity to identify the threats to national unity and nip it in its bud before it sprouts into a complex and intractable situation.

Putting Fawehinmi's words into action, the President, on the morning of Independence Day broadcast finally sanctioned the 2014 national conference. He reasoned that “when there are issues that reluctantly stoke tensions and bring about friction, it makes perfect sense for the interested parties to come together and discuss."

Indeed, any opportunity that allows conflicting parties to assemble and discuss the problems affecting them makes perfect sense. But then, holding a discussion about a problem doesn’t necessarily translate to solving the problem. There’ve even been instances where such opportunity unpleasantly turns into an opportunity to declare for war, especially if it's not handled properly. Therefore, it’s understandable that the president’s announcement to convene a national conference was greeted with cautious questions from the populace: Will the national conference make the much desired difference in the polity? Or is it simply a tool employed by the President for political maneuvering just like the previous conferences?

Unfortunately, to truly answer these questions we’d have to wait it out. However, what is certain to all is that given the decrepit state of the country, the quest to determine the country’s fate has become exigent and it's through mediums such as the national conference can such be achieved. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the 2014 national conference couldn't have been well–timed. Even though it casts doubts on the minds of the citizens, it’s still the only viable option available at these trying times of our nationhood.