NATIONAL CONFAB: Tinubu, Fashola snubs Okurounmu-led c’ttee in Lagos...

REPORT BY THE SUN NEWSPAPER

Chief Bola Tinubu & Gov. Raji Fashola of Lagos State

Perhaps in keeping with their opposition to the proposed national dialogue, former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, incumbent governor Mr Babatunde Fashola and their party, the All Progressives Congress(APC) were conspiciously absent yesterday at the intractive session of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue. This is just as the various groups that participated at the session disagreed on what should be the role of the National Assembly in the conference. However, most of the groups agreed that the outcome of the conference should be subjected to a national referendum. There was also a near uninaminity that the delegates to the proposed conference should be on the basis of the ethnic nationalities in the country.
The event which held at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs(NIIA) Lagos was attended by variouis interest groups in the state and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)
A leader of the Itsekiri, Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor said she has no doubt that the proposed conference will be a success.
While expressing delight that most of the groups are in agreement that participation at the conference should be based on ethnic nationalities, Lori-Ogbebor said politicians and political parties should have nothing to do with the selection of delegates.
However, she said the outcome of the conference should be sent to the National Assembly for passage into law. But the Itsekiri leader pointed out that resolutions at the conference must be passed into law without any alteration.
Lauding President Jonathan for initiating the national conference, she said Nigerians should jump at any opportunity to discuss the state of the country.
Making its presentation, the Yoruba National Assembly represented by General Alani Akinrinade said that the President should use all the powers available to him and ensure that the outcome of the conference is legal.
“Anyone who refuses to endorse what the people have agreed on can go and form his own country” he said.
On its part, the Afenifere, represented by Mr Yinka Odumakin said resolutions reached at the national conference should be subjected to a national referendum while President Goodluck Jonathan should send a bill to the National Assembly for the resolution of the conference to be added to the constitution.
“All decisions reached by the conference should be made into a referendum and the President should take a bill to the national assembly for it to be included in the constitution. The conference should have equal representation by all the six zones of the country. At least 100 delegates should come from each zone. We should look at the composition of government on whether it should be a federal state or not. We should also insist that every state should generate its own revenue. Because we are sharing money derived from oil, no one wants to work again”, he added.
Afenifere Renewal Group represented by Wale Oshun said, “The time to talk to one another is now. We should talk of the decline in our country in terms of infrastructure, education, health etc. We should look at the legislative structure, whether it should be full or part time, internal security and other issues that have become a problem. The ethnic nationalities should be the basis for negotiation and each nationality should have the opportunity of selecting those who will represent them. No interest group like Labour, etc should be involved.
It should be strictly in terms of nationalities and the exercise should last for nine months.”