Soyinka, Ciroma, Fashola shun pro-SNC meeting

[DT]

Eminent Nigerians who gathered yesterday in Lagos on the platform of the National Summit Group have called for the convocation of a National Conference where all ethnic and religious groups will dialogue on how to move Nigeria forward.  

However, notable personalities such as Lagos State Governor Raji Fashola, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, who were billed to speak at the event, were conspicuously absent and no reason was given for their absence.  

Soyinka and Ciroma were billed to speak for the South-West and North-East geo-political zones while Fashola was listed as the chief host.

In his submission, Prof. Ben Nwabueze said: "There is only one solution to challenges facing Nigerian nation and that is convocation of national conference. Whatever we say at this on-going summit will be a prelude to the all-encompassing national conference we hope to achieve. Anyone who is against the convocation of SNC is an enemy of this country," Nwabueze said.

Former governor of old Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, said the polity is pregnant with lots of contradictions and called for the correction of the  anomalies.

Former presidential candidate Pat Utomi, spoke on constitutionalism, ethnicities, religious fundamentalism, corruption, fuel subsidy removal and epileptic power supply.

Former presidential candidate of the All Peoples Party (APP), Chief Ou Falae , said time has come for Nigeria to have a new constitution that will accommodate all the yearnings of Nigerian people and called for a sovereign national conference.

Former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clarke, in his presentation, made a case for the restructuring of the constitution to strengthen the federating units.

DailyTrust