The Federal Government says the proposed National Conference was not initiated to promote political ambitions or the disintegration of the country as being speculated in some quarters, but is being organized as a platform for Nigerians to dialogue and move the country forward.
Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, made this known Tuesday in Abuja, while responding to questions from the media on the Power Sector and the Economy at the monthly World Press Conference organised by his Ministry.
Maku faulted insinuations that the planned National Dialogue is about the 2015 General Elections, stressing that those also alleging that the conference would lead to the breakup of the country were against its genuine progress.
"The President is a performing President and doesn't need a national conference to win an election. This is a President that stabilized the Dollar exchange rate between ₦155 and ₦160 over the last two years. Inflation dropped to 8 percent in September, 2013 from 12.4 percent in May 2011. External Reserve increased from $32.08 billion in May 2011 to $48.4 billion as of May 2013 and the Excess Crude Account rose from about $4 Billion in May 2011 to about $6 billion in May 2013.
"This conference is about moving Nigeria forward and addressing the issues that have agitated the minds of our people for decades. It will make our country stronger.
"The constitution of the committee has been clear. There can be no better way to show sincerity like the President has shown. The President did not give the committee any agenda for this conference, he asked them to go out to Nigerians and collect their views about what should be the agenda for this conference. That to me is the greatest mark of transparency by the President", the information Minister added.
On the state of emergency declared in some northern states about four months ago, Mr. Maku condemned the politicizing of the security challenges in the affected states urging communities to "wake up" and play their roles at that level to sustain peace.
"We have achieved a lot with this state of emergency. Lots of terrorist camps have been destroyed, weapons have been seized and the people of the north were able to even celebrate the Salah along with all other parts of the country, which they were unable to do in the recent past.
"We are not dealing with ordinary people. Some of them are not Nigerians. Insurgency in the north has been aided by propaganda. I must commend the Sultan of Sokoto for preaching peace and I urge the media not to heat up the polity with the kind of reports they publish.
He equally commended the security forces, which he noted, have been making sacrifices, and in some cases even putting their lives on the line for the safety of Nigerians.
Source: "National Confab has nothing to do with 2015 or breakup", Maku tells skeptics (http://www.nigeria.gov.ng/2012-10-29-11-09-25/news/597-national-confab-has-nothing-to-do-with-2015-or-breakup-maku-tells-skeptics)