Conference gets six weeks extension

The conference which was inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan on March 17 was scheduled to conclude its work by June 19; that is within three months period.By this extension, the 490 delegates would conclude their work by July 31, thereby earning additional allowances.The six weeks extension will now add extra N4.4million each to the delegates’ […]

The conference which was inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan on March 17 was scheduled to conclude its work by June 19; that is within three months period.
By this extension, the 490 delegates would conclude their work by July 31, thereby earning additional allowances.
The six weeks extension will now add extra N4.4million each to the delegates’ emoluments.
At the end of the four and half months period, delegates must have earned about N13million each instead of the earlier N8.8million.
Daily Trust reported earlier that each delegate received N1.46million every two weeks, totalling N2.9million per month, as monetised allowances for accommodation, transports and sittings.
There are media reports indicating that some selected delegates have gone to the presidency asking for extension. The delegates argued that public holidays and the World Economic Forum event scheduled for Abuja next week would disrupt their working calendar.
According to the new work plan, the committees’ time-frame has been extended for about two weeks.
The committees now have up to Thursday May 15 to conclude work and submit their reports instead of April 30.
The conference will now resume at plenary and begin deliberations on May 19 instead of May 5.
The conference which was scheduled to work for 14 weeks would now complete its assignment in 20 weeks.
But the conference Assistant Secretary on Media and Communication Akpandem James told Daily Trust that only the period of committee work was extended.
He explained that the conference secretariat “only granted the request of the leadership of standing committees who requested for extension of time to enable them meaningfully conclude their work and submit thorough reports.
“They observed that the time given for committee work was grossly inadequate considering the workload, a situation which was further compounded by public holidays that ate into the time for committee work,” he said.  
James said it was also noted that since some delegates are going to be involved in the Economic Summit which begins on Monday in Abuja, and others will be dislodged from their accommodation at the Hilton, it was necessary to extend the period for committee work to accommodate the exigencies and also allow for thorough work to be done.