By Kolawole Ojebisi
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday explained why his administration did not implement the report and recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.
This is coming a decade after his administration convoked the national conference to deliberate on the myriads of problems besetting the country and profer suitable solutions to address them while charting the way forward as a nation.
Jonathan spoke while paying a condolence visit, alongside former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, to the family of late Afenifere Leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo in Lagos.
Jonathan said the political situation in Nigeria at the time was too turbulent to accommodate presentation of the recommendations.
He maintained that the 2014 National Conference would not have come up without the contributions of people such as the late Adebanjo.
Adebanjo died on February 14, 2025, in Lagos. He was aged 96. Jonathan said that a number of people had kept asking why he did not implement the recommendations of the conference.
According to him, most Nigerians do not know that there was a lot of political turbulence in the country at that period.
He said that a key member of the legislature, who was in his party, mobilised against him and moved to another party.The ex-president added that some persons were ready to bring his administration down at that time.
“It was not the time we could present such a document.Thank God for everything. We believe that one day, one government will review it and take everything,” he said.
He said the recommendations came from credible Nigerians who were not politically influenced.
“We believe the outcomes are still very relevant for our society.” Jonathan and Abubakar were received at different times by the children of the late elder stateman led by Obafemi Ayo-Adebanjo.
