The President of the NBA Okey Wali (SAN), represented by the General Secretary Emeka Obegolu, made this known during the NBA, Abuja branch Annual Law Week.
Speaking during the session on: ‘The Implications of the Proposed National Conference for Nation Building and Constitutional Development’, he expressed his dismay over the recent amendment of section 9 of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly without inserting a clause for referendum.
In his presentation, a former minister of health, Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike, called for the conference of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. He described Nigeria as “one of the uncompleted projects of the 19th century.”
He advocated the entrenchment of the principle of national accommodation for all ethnic nationalities in the country, saying: “any nation is judged by the types of protection and rights its ethnic minorities enjoy.”
Also speaking, Senate committee chairman on Rules and Business, Ita Enang urged lawyers to base their submissions on facts of law. He noted that contrary to insinuations, the National Assembly was yet to take a position on the outcome of the proposed national conference.