Tag: Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

Former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Lagos and Osun State Governors Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and Rauf Aregbesola as well as Lagos lawyer, Mr Femi Dalana, yesterday said Nigeria is groping in the dark and needs to be rescued.

They spoke in Lagos at a memorial symposium on the 8th anniversary of the death of rights activist, Dr. Beko Ransom-Kuti.

Tinubu spoke on a topic, titled: National Conference/Dialogue: Making Nigeria Work.

The former governor noted that the proposed National Conference of the Goodluck Jonathan administration is an attempt to hoodwink Nigerians that the conference is the panacea to the nation’s problems.

Tinubu, who was represented by Mr Bayo Onanuga, said: “A Sovereign National Conference (SNA) is an idea Dr. Beko championed during his lifetime. Several others and myself, through the Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) and similar platforms, have actively promoted, supported and advocated the idea.”

He explained that his opposition to the dialogue is anchored on principle.

“In October, 2013, after a deep review of the ‘Jonathan Conference’ proposal, I told Nigerians that the conference is not what they had advocated for,” Tinubu said.

The frontline politicians said there were contradictions and confusion that would sink the conference, even before it starts.

He said: “If the conference must be held now, we must return to the spade work already done by the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo government in the aspect of the constitutional review. Let the Jonathan government bring it out, remove the third term toxic component and set up a technical committee to examine the 118 recommendations therein.”

The chairman of the event and founder of the Oodua People Congress (OPC), Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, however, supported the conference.

The OPC leader noted that the agenda on the conference fell short of expectation.

He said: “If Beko were alive, we would have been talking of a true national conference based on ethnic nationalities. Some of the things we agitated for were not included in the composition of the national conference agenda.

“If he were alive, Beko would say that the outcome of the conference should be submitted to a national referendum and not the National Assembly. He would expect the conference to choose between the presidential and parliamentary systems of government. He would prefer an unbiased chairman for the conference; he would have proffered solutions to all of these.”

Fashola, who was represented by Transportation Commissioner Kayode Opeifa, said the state government would always promote the ideals of the late activist, especially his quest for justice.

He said: “For some of us, we would not have been here today. We recognise the efforts of Dr. Beko to promote justice and fairness. We recognise his effort to actualise the June 12 (1993) struggle. This memorial lecture is one of the ways of immortalising the late icon and the Lagos State government will continue to protect the people against any act of injustice.”

An academic Prof. Kolawole Ogunwowole said Nigeria existed on the false pretext that it was a nation.

The academic noted that this should be thoroughly examined to define the terms of the nation’s existence.

He said: “Nigeria is an amalgam; so, it is not a nation. We have the Yoruba, Ijaw, Fulani, Edo and Ibibio nations, among others. The colonial masters destroyed these nations and hurriedly gave us Nigeria. We need a conference of sovereign ethnic nationalities to reclaim these territories and see the possibilities of having a union.”

Falana said Nigeria was in trouble because the government could no longer render its service to the people.

He said: “The other day, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, told Nigerians that the government was searching for N49.8 billion. A week later, she said it was N12 billion, and some moment later, she said it N20 billion.”

He noted that any of the amounts was sufficient to banish poverty among Nigerians, if it was well managed for the welfare of the people.