Real reason I dumped 2014 National Conference recommendations – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has given reason for his decision to dump the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.

Speaking during a condolence visit to the family of late Afenifere Leader, Ayo Adebanjo, on Sunday, Jonathan said that the political situation in Nigeria at the time was too turbulent to accommodate presentation of the recommendations.

Recall that Adebanjo died on February 14, 2025, in Lagos at the age of 96.

Jonathan said: “Our dear leader was not the leader of Afenifere alone. He was a leader of this country.

“He was a man with enormous wisdom, courage and willingness to do the right thing for this country.

“He believed in truth and justice. No nation can grow when there is no truth and when there is no justice.

“Those were the things he was known for. We are not surprised that he led the Afenifere credibly well.”

Jonathan said that the 2014 National Conference would not have come up without the contributions of people such as the late Adebanjo.

“He meant the best for this country,” he added.
According to the former president, when a nation is not moving as expected, there is the need for a comprehensive dialogue.
He said that those who participated at the conference were credible.

Jonathan said, “I gave them total authority to discuss what is good for this country.”

He 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.

“The speaker of the parliament, who was in my party, mobilised against me and moved to another party.

“They were really ready to bring the government down, 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 that the recommendations came from credible Nigerians who were not politically influenced.

“We believe the outcomes are still very relevant for our society.”

Responding, the son of the deceased, Mr Obafemi Ayo-Adebanjo, said: “Baba was very grateful to you (Jonathan) for your courage to constitute the 2014 National Conference and for him being part of it.

“He always celebrated you (Jonathan) for being the one that had the courage and wisdom to put that together.

“He was also very happy when you said the blood of a single Nigerian was not worth your ambition.

“All those things resonated with Baba. I want to welcome you for coming to condole with us,” he said.

Ayo-Adebanjo also commiserated with Jonathan over the death of Chief Edwin Clark, a prominent Ijaw leader.
Clark died three days after Adebanjo’s death.

Jonathan was accompanied by Sierra Leone’s ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma, former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George, and other political stalwarts.