Delegates Adopt Final Report as Conference Winds Down

After much horse-trading, delegates to the National Conference yesterday adopted all the three reports of the plenary session, while adjourning till August 21 to append their signatures. With the adoption of the final report, the conference is in the process of winding down after five months of deliberation. Accordingly, yesterday’s session witnessed lots of unsolicited hugs, back patting and handshaking unhindered by ethnic divisions as the unanimous adoption of the final report scaled through without the usual rancour. Conference Chairman and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, Deputy Chairman and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi; Conference Secretary, Dr (Mrs) Valerie-Jenete Azinge, and the three assistant secretaries savoured the atmosphere with joy. Shortly after the adoption of votes and proceedings of the previous day, the session opened with a motion to mandate the secretariat to vet and effect amendments to the three reports prepared by the secretariat. The motion for the adoption of the confab report was jointly sponsored by Jerry Okwuonu and former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili to mandate the secretariat to vet and effect amendment to the three reports prepared by the secretariat. The motion read: Whereas the secretariat has done a very marvelous job of compiling the report of the conference and presenting same to us in easily readable and cross-checkable format; and Whereas delegates have perused all the reports and submitted in writing all items of omission or incorrect addition to the final report; and Bearing in mind the dual necessity of bringing the conference to a close for purposes of not unduly over-reaching the logistics provision of the conference and not unnecessarily prolonging the continued conglomeration of people in contradiction to the prescription of Health Authorities especially as the country tackles the Ebola crisis.

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