BENIN—THE Senator representing Edo North senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Domingo Obende, has said that the decision of the Federal Government to hold a national conference on the way forward for the country was to keep Nigerians busy.
Obende, who fielded questions from newsmen in Benin City, Edo State, yesterday, where he highlighted some of his achievements in the Senate so far, which he listed to include sponsorship and co-sponsorship of at least 14 bills in the fourth Senate, creation and procurement of employment and various projects across the six local government areas that make up the district, denied allegation that lawmakers were earning jumbo salaries.
Insisting that the proposed National Conference might not be completed until next elections are held, he said: “Sometimes, a lot of things that happens come with an agenda. I have always said that the people that will sit down to draft the agenda of a meeting know exactly why the meeting is being held.
“As far as I am concerned, I don’t see anything visible that will come out of it. If we want to have a sovereign national conference, let us have it, if it is a national conference that we are going to nominate people or government will select people to go and debate the situation of Nigeria, obviously we can’t get result that is going to be people friendly. That is my belief.
“It can never be people friendly because they have an agenda and it is that agenda that will be foisted on the committee. I don’t think Nigerians should be treated in this manner. If we want to hit the nail on the head, let Nigerians sit down and discuss our future.”
