Razaq Bamidele
A pro-democracy group, The Nigeria Voters Assembly (VOTAS), has denounced the call by some political groups for another National Dialogue.
The call for a new dialogue, according to VOTA, timely inappropriate and self-serving, insisting that, implementation of past Political Conferences is the best way forward.
President of the the group, Comrade Moshood Erubami, in a statement said “the new move by some political groups to select another set of 120 eminent personalities to restart dialogue on the problems of Nigeria will amount to chasing shadows, timely inappropriate and self serving.”
The best way forward , Erubami assertd, will be to rally forces together to call for the implementation of the recommendations of the past National political conferences.
President Erubami condemned the new attempt by the Nigeria Political Summit Group (NPSG) in conjunction with the National Consultative Front ( NCF) to convey an emergency National Dialogue on the constitutional future of Nigeria today, which will not be different from the National Assembly’s recurring attempt to embark on another endless constitutional amendment..
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“There is no way the 120 ‘Wise Men and Women’ to be selected will come outside those that have contributed to national issues in the past, except the congregation is for new political purposes, another veiled attempt to derail the current agitations for the implementation of past political conferences,” he added.
The VOTA boss insisted that, Eminence and sterling qualities of those to be included in the list alone cannot guarantee the viability and workability of Nigeria unless and until the birth defects of this country since 1914 are corrected.
He gave example of misleading appellation of Nigeria as a Federal state must be removed, to adopt real federalism as the best way to go in a multi ethnic country, stating that regionalism must be reinstated and scattered states already created should be made to work under those regions.,
“Nigeria had discussed and dialogue enough on the Radios, Televisions and Social media and had interrogated the challenges facing the country contributing implementable solutions in past National political Conferences. It is time to distil cogent recommendations from the number of submissions available to give answers to resolve the National questions instead of embarking on another dreamless voyage to setting another forum for unproductive dialogue.
“Nigerians are tired and cannot afford to continue amending a faulty constitution leaving the defects unaltered, the 1999 constitution has been found to contain serial defects which can only be removed through effecting fundamental changes in its structure. These changes are contained in the recommendations of past conferences. Only sincere restructuring of the minds and consciences of Nigerians, Political leaders and the country’s governance systems, can bring about the changes and we have debated enough to correct these defects through the past national political conferences.
“The National Assembly, instead of embarking on another Constitutional amendment jamboree, should be courageous to ask the President for the proceedings and recommendations of the past two political conferences, review and align their contents for final implementation.
“The examples of Chief Obasanjos and Dr Jonathan Goodluck 2014 conferences provided the best examples of conferences that can heal the known wounds on each ethnic nationalities. The Conferences were quite representative and addressed the issues then, what remains is the politically willed implementation.
“What is therefore required at this juncture of the country’s history is for those who participated in these conferences to rise and demand for the implementation of their submissions , this will set the machineries of national healing and reconciliation in motion and bring about the needed unity for the purpose of national development.
“The main reason there is tension and acrimonies in the land is because the ruling class are not prepared to bring out the submitted recommendations from these conferences for proper implementation, doing this will immediately douse the raging tension and crisis in the country, peace can only return when the leadership is strong in the mind and are ready to correct old faults through justice and fairplay,” Erubami submitted.
In conclusion, The VOTAS boss said, “The only sincere way to bring about constitutional harmony and engender stability in Nigeria today is to bring out for unconditional implementation, the proceedings in the past conferences in which many able, sincere and formidable personalities contributed from across sectors of Human Rights, Civil Society, Faith based institutions, Professionals, Labour, leaders of Ethnic Nationalities, Women Groups, Youths including People with Disabilities with Representations from Political Parties.”
