By GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE
BENIN—AGAINST the backdrop of continued call by some prominent Nigerians for the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference, SNC, to address the deluge of problems confronting the nation, former National President of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, has disagreed with the agitation, saying that it would lead to the breaking up of Nigeria.

Ekiyor, who spoke with Vanguard, said: “I was a member of NADECO and I became quiet because once there is a civilian government, there is no basis for a Sovereign National Conference. We have in place legislative assemblies, members of the two chambers of the National Assembly are paid and we have an executive in place. With these, there is already a sovereign government.

“We cannot convoke another Sovereign National Conference. We can have summits, such as the Niger Delta Technical Committee, headed by Ledum Mittee, to review the challenges facing the country and come out with a blueprint that would be sent to the National Assembly for deliberations.”

Insisting that the 1999 constitution, as amended, was subject to review as many times as possible, he said, “I don’t believe that a government will agree to the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference unless it is talking of breaking up the country.”

He noted that a Sovereign National Conference could only be held if Nigerians decided that they can no longer stay together as one united nation, adding that where there was a constituted government in power with a President and Commander In-Chief in office, there can be no two sovereigns.

Ekiyor said that most of the problems facing the country arose because while the country pretended to be practicing a federal system of government, it had no room for fiscal federalism as practised in the United States of America where it was copied from.

all these sell out ijaw leaders should just STFU!!!how will such a man like this say such a thing when his people are at the receiving end of Nigeria's fail arrangement.Gosh am just tried of Nigeria.I need fresh air(land of the rising sun)excluding all these fishermen ogogoro drinkers cos they are the next bokoharam.they will be destroying themselves with bombs when the time comes,couple with the fact that they lack the manpower and skill and are also lazy.not surprised bayelsa state(a full ijaw state) still remain a village dispute their huge revenue allocation.the only developed states with these ogogoro drinkers are develop because they have the presence of other ethnic group.

he's saying that 'cos his brother is in power.

Nope! The things that will break up Nigeria are:
Corruption
Boko Haram
Religious intolerance
Deceitful leadership
Tribalism
Poverty
Lack of infractural development etc etc

Well, isn't that the plan?

So?

Won't you rather break up an unworkable arrangement than suffer in silence forever?

People like this would make it harder for me to support a GEJ reelection bid. They are self centered and can't think.
SNC is the only peaceful way to move Nigeria forward.

the earlier the break up the better.

I worry that the man is playing politics with the future of our peoples. He knows the North likes this type of talks, so he knows what he is doing.
I'm happy that a lot more credible folks in Nigeria are calling for a SNC. People like this will soon become irrelevant.
I don't even see how the government can avoid a SNC past this year, unless the government goes back to the dirty methods of bribing sectional noisemakers.
That is what Nigeria has done for most of her 51 years of existence. Jonathan must prove to us that he is different and is interested in solving the structural problems of Nigeria; else, he will not achieve much in office, and his term will definitely end on or before 2015.

********God i pray that you fasten the break up of this cursed entity called niGERia***********

******Amen******

There are unscrupulous southern politicians who are waiting to hijack this conference to push for a break up of the project known as Nigeria and we well know what part of the country they emanate from.

God save Nigeria from these despicable connivers

This is not chris Ekiyor that I know, if he is , he must have been drunk at the time of making this statement. It is either he is drunk or he is carried away by the contract he was given recently in his brothers government. Nigeria as presently constituted can never work. The constitution is a fraud

Ijaw and the rest of Nigerdelta should shine their eyes well well now their son is the president,if they want resource control or autonomy time is now but if they are merely satisfied that our man is the presido'when power rotate and they start all over again they will surely loose sympathy from the rest of the world.People who were agitating for resource control have given up simply because their son is now president for me is dumb.(GEJ is not gonna be president for life)

Make una no worry nigerians when power go rotate time to act is now or forever be silent.because aboki go show una nwiiiiiiiiiiii if they take over power and una wan disturb his gorment , ahaa then people go ask when una son JONA be president wetin he do for una?.na my own toro be that.