Nigeria’s former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said if President Muhammadu Buhari had implemented part of the reports of the 2014 National Conference, it would have taken Nigeria out of the wood.
Jonathan, who spoke at the launching and presentation of the Memoirs of Senator Femi Okurounmu at the University of Lagos, also gave reason why he could not implement the report before he left office.
While noting the role played by Okurounmu at the conference, Jonathan, who was the chairman of the occasion, said the conference was conveyed in accordance with the yearnings of Nigerians for a dialogue to reconcile ethnic differences.
He said all the issues were discussed as he gave them the freedom to discuss all and that the recommendations were far reaching in setting an agenda for today and tomorrow.
According to the former president, the conference took out politics and that the recommendations would have taken Nigeria out of the woods.
Jonathan noted the counter narratives about his inability to implement the recommendations before leaving office, saying that the report was handed over to him on 21 August, 2014, at a time members of the National Assembly were busy running around for re-election.
He added that if the report was to be implemented, it required an amendment of parts of the 1999 Constitution and that it was not a thing to be rushed.
Jonathan also said democracy was key to achieving the dreams of the people, but noted that the electoral process must be credible to achieve better living.
