Jonathan has saved Nigeria — Ohanaeze The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said by commencing the process of a national dialogue President Goodluck Jonathan has pulled Nigeria back from the brink. Secretary-General of the organisation, Dr Joe Nwaorgu, who stated this while reacting to the president”s 53rd Independence Anniversary speech, said “all truthful and patriotic Nigerians must commend Mr. President for this singular act of statesmanship. Nigerians can now kick-start the process of nation building where equity, justice and fair-play for all Nigerians will be our core pursuit. It is better to jaw-jaw than war-war, that is why Ohanaeze has always stood for the convening of a national conference. So the conference is very welcome. Ohanaeze will partake in it,” he said. Jonathan should be commended—Afenifere In its reaction, Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, said the President should be commended for setting up the committee. Afenifere’s national publicity secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin told Vanguard on telephone that “the President has done what is required in a country that is in a hurry at the moment. I commend him because when I listened to his broadcast, he did not say he has tarred any road, but he admitted that these are not the best times for our country. He has put his finger on the right thing that should be done. We need to discuss Nigeria at this moment and his setting up of this committee is a practical demonstration given the time-lines. It is clear that he knows the urgency of the moment. Nigeria cannot continue like this. Nigeria is clearly heading to the road of Yugoslavia at the moment and it is only a conference like this that can put Nigeria on the right track.” This could be Nigeria’s last chance—Yakassai The Alhaji Tanko Yakassai-led Nigerian National Summit Group (NNSG) commended President Jonathan’s decision to convene an all-inclusive Nigerian National Conference saying this could be Nigeria’s last chance. A statement by its executive secretary, Mr Tony Uranta, said that if Nigerians fail to “present and pursue common good positions (beginning now); but, rather, delight ourselves in our often vain and bitter debates as to whether or not the National Conference should hold, we shall have none other to blame when the Transformed Nigeria (restructured through candid national dialogue) shall emerge, without our people having been best represented by the fractiously-selfish political class, the ‘not-so-focused-on-the-Common-Good’ ethnic nationalities, and the mostly money-led civil society.” It’s a chance to make progress—Falae On his part, former Minister of Finance, Chief Olu Falae said if the conference is allowed to hold, then Nigeria has a chance to make progress. In a telephone chat with Vanguard, Falae said “”I think it is a most welcome development. As you know, some of us have been unrelenting advocates of sovereign national conference for over 20 years. I am happy that the President has finally set up a committee. I am also happy that my very good friend and colleague, Senator Femi Okurounmu is a member of the committee, he is an advocate of a sovereign national conference. When he was in the Senate, he moved a motion on sovereign national conference, of course the preponderance of opinion in the National Assembly, at that time, was against the motion. I am happy that it is he who is going to play a prominent role in the process. If the conference does take place and it achieves the minimum requirements, then maybe Nigeria has a chance of surviving, reviving and making progress.” There should be no restriction— ARG Also, Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG, commended President Jonathan but advised that there should not be any form of restriction in the committee’s terms of reference. According to its publicity secretary, Kunle Famoriyo, the group promised to cooperate with and support the Advisory Council set up by President Jonathan, where necessary. He said ARG also believes that the committee’s chairman, Senator Femi Okurounmu, who has spent a significant part of his life in the struggle for democracy and true federalism, will work to produce a guideline that we can all be proud of, provided the government has not dictated a “No Go Area” to the committee. It said “we however urge President Jonathan to ensure this latest move comes from a pure motive of ending the country’s many problems. We recall many conferences had been constituted in the past that never yielded any dividend for the people of Nigeria. We also urge him not to place any restriction on the committee’s term of reference and the proposed conference should have no prohibition clause like Senate President David Mark suggested.” National conference in order — ACF The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, yesterday said it would support any dialogue that would bring about the strengthening of the Nigeria Project. ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Anthony Sani told Vanguard yesterday that the setting up of an advisory committee on National Conference was in order. “You would note that ACF has made it clear that it is not opposed to national dialogue so long as the aim is to strengthen the unity in diversity of this country, since the concept of nationhood presupposes that the people can come together and unleash their synergy by living up collective challenges for public good, provided such dialogue is not in the form of Sovereign National Conference, SNC, that amounts to vote of no confidence on our democracy and its institutions, which no group has the right to do. So national dialogue through national conference, yes; through sovereign national conference, no. ‘There is therefore nothing wrong in setting up a committee by the Federal Government to work out the form or modality of the proposed national dialogue,’’ he said. Sani, however said that the ACF would take a final stand, when the “the form and content’’ of the committee was unveiled to Nigerians by the federal government. Enugu monarchs hail Jonathan Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for setting up a committee on National Dialogue, saying that the country would be more united and stronger after the conference. Chairman of the council, Igwe Simeon Osisi Itodo in his reaction said that the President’s position was in line with agitation of southeasters in the last 30 years. “We welcome the President’s decision on the issue. This has been the position of the South-east leaders. We believe that there is need to discuss some burning issues which had been drawing us back as a nation. National Dialogue is not about dismemberment or splitting the country. We will not support such issues.” Jonathan has disappointed the opposition — PDP National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in its reaction hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting to put in place a process that will lead to the convocation of a National Conference, stressing that the action was an indication that he listens to the people of Nigeria. According to PDP, President Jonathan has disappointed the opposition who had thought that he would use the occasion to score political points. A statement by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh read, “the Peoples Democratic Party says the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to anchor the theme of his Independence Day broadcast on the road map to a secured future for the nation is not only unique but an eloquent expression of his determination to bequeath a transformed Nigeria. “Nigerians listened to their President as he humbly relegated accomplishments and beating of the chest. We saw the President assuming the place of an ordinary Nigerian, in his pains, fears and uncertainty about the future. This is very commendable.” Olisa Metuh said that by taking a definite stand on the issue of a national dialogue and setting up a committee led by Dr. Femi Okurounmu to fashion out the structure and modalities for the conference, President Jonathan “ has again demonstrated that his mandate derives entirely from the wishes of Nigerians.” According to him, “We are pleased that the President listens and leaves Nigerians in no doubt that their opinions matter. We recall that he bowed to the wishes of Nigerians on the deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry and we also recall that the wishes of Nigerians have been his compass in crucial measures so far taken to contain terrorism in parts of the country.” We welcome the development — G7 Governors, Baraje led PDP The Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP yesterday hailed the planned convocation of Sovereign National Conference, SNC by President Goodluck Jonathan, just as it warned that it should not be made to serve cosmetic purpose like the previous ones at the end of the day. In an SMS to Vanguard, the new PDP national Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze said, “we see the clamour for a national dialogue as timely and appropriate as there is an urgent need for Nigerians to come together and discuss matters affecting them as well as the way forward. We, therefore, welcome Mr. President’s announcement in his Independence Day broadcast about the establishment of a committee to advise him on the modalities for the holding of the conference. We, however, wish to warn that the proposed conference should not serve the same cosmetics purpose served by previous efforts; it should be empowered to discuss all issues agitating the minds of Nigerians – there should not be any no-go areas except the unity and oneness of Nigeria, which is not debatable. “
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 06:39:31 +0000
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