The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Okurounmu

‘Why I am taking Okurounmu to court’

Former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba has threatened to sue Senator Femi Okurounmu to court for describing him as a “traitor”, “double dealer” and “security agent” in his memoirs. In this interview with reporters in Lagos, the veteran journalist and elderstateman speaks on the rift and the protracted crisis in Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

Senator Femi Okurounmu, a chieftain of Afenifere, recently said some of the things you wrote in your book ‘Battlelines,’ were lies and an attempt to distort history. How will you respond to that?

I will not descend into using uncouth, insulting and gutter languages like Senator Okurounmu did by referring to me as a traitor, a security agent and a double dealer. In spite of his sustained attacks on me in the last two weeks, I was unruffled and unmoved as a tested fighter and warrior. On the day I launched my book, I showed series of pictures and one was me as boxer at the age of 10. I also titled my book ‘Battlelines’ to show a lot of the blackmail that I suffered in both my professional and political life.

As for Okurounmu, I will describe him as a frustrated, unfulfilled politician as well as a failure in his chosen profession. His recent attack on me was borne out of jealousy and the major factor is envy and wickedness.

Yoruba language is highly proverbial and Yoruba will describe Okurounmu’s situation as somebody suffering from A proverb that says Ija ilara kii tan boro, Anjuwon ko see wi l’ejo which means ‘ when you are envious you carry that burden almost forever and an envious character cannot easily say the reason why he is envious particularly God has been too kind and generous to the person he is envious of’. That is the situation between me and Okurounmu.

My answer to that is that I pray to God in heaven and our heroes, many who died in the cause of the struggle, particularly those unsung, too many people that suffered that are unsung; but I will be specific with our leaders, that wherever they are in heaven, I appeal to them to forgive Okurounmu at 80 because of the insinuation that the military government was after me because I was an agent is false.

He claimed that you were detained by the military because you were spying for NADECO. How will you respond to that?

Sergeant Rogers was categorical when he was cross-examined by Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, a renowned authority in the Law of Evidence, who was then the Attorney-General of Lagos State. He mentioned names of those of us who were marked down and they were instructed to assassinate. I appeal to the spirit of Kudirat Abiola, Alfred Rewane, the spirit of Bola Ige who died in the hands of assassins, the spirit of Olu Onagoruwa , the spirit of those who were hit and a lot of them died in the cause, which include Papa Abraham Adesanya, my brother, good friend and soul mate, Alex Ibru. I can go and mention names of those who were marked down by the evidence given in court.

I am still alive. If they were after me as a security collaborator and agent, then, Okurounmu destroyed the spirit of these people who died in the cause, that all of us who were marked down as stated in the evidence recorded in court that we are all agents. May the spirit of those who died in the cause forgive Okurounmu. May their souls continue to rest in peace, but what he has done is making all of them turn in their graves.

What about the allegation that your governorship election in 1992 was funded by former military President Ibrahim Babangida?

I’m shocked and disappointed at the lack of knowledge and intellectualism displayed by Okurounmu who claimed to be a PhD holder. If you are a student of history, the two-party systems, a little to the right and a little to the left in my time were well and openly funded by President Babangida’s government. We haven’t arrived at the garrison command politics of Obasanjo, the politics of do-or –die of today. At that time, voting system was open ballot. You queue openly behind the photograph of your candidate at all levels.

Votes at that time were not monetised. In our time, we didn’t need much money to run our campaigns because the parties were funded. We didn’t need to fund the party or buy votes because voting was by open ballot. You queued in the open behind the photographs. What evidence has he that I collected money when the party has already been funded? What do I need the money for when voting was by open ballot? We have a situation where the wife will queue on one side and the husband will queue on the other side. On the day of the Primary in Ijebu- Igbo, Papa Adesanya at that time, who was a junior brother to my father-in-law, directed people in his voting centre that they were supporting Afolabi Olabimtan, and people were telling him ‘ Papa, you have a right to say you are supporting Olabimtan but we are for Osoba’ and they queued openly behind my picture. The same thing with Papa Ayo Adebanjo in Isanya Ogbo. His closest political foot soldier in Isanya- Ogbo, the late CP Odunsi, was my supporter. He openly queued behind my picture, contrary to the directive of Papa Ayo Adebanjo. So, what money did I need from Babangida then? What will I spend the money on? You don’t even need an agent because the result is recorded. An example is Lagos. In Lagos, the late Wahab Dosunmu and Towry Coker were candidates for the Senate seat in Lagos. Somehow, they disagreed that they were not happy with the way the primary was being conducted and they decided to boycott it. However, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele said she was not boycotting. Two people queued behind her. At the end of the day, Babagana Kingibe upheld the result and said there was no provision in the constitution for boycott. The party members still went ahead and voted for Bucknor- Akerele, who was not their candidate, despite the fact that she was not the original candidate they wanted. There was party discipline then. I can give you several examples to show you that there was discipline in the two-party systems. There was never one carpet-crossing. Towry-Coker or Dosunmu did not cross because they felt that they were not fairly treated in the party. It was in the same Lagos that when they conducted the primary and they were not happy with the way it was conducted, they voted for House of Assembly in the open and also decided to queue behind the late Michael Otedola, who was governorship candidate of NRC. The system then was open. So, what do I need the Babangida’s money for? That is why I said Okurounmu is lacking in sense of history, intellectualism and political knowledge.

Wale Oshun, the Chairman of Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) also claimed that you donated 5,000 Pounds to the project of Mrs Maryam Abacha, but when NADECO approached you for financial assistance, you gave them a paltry 250 Pounds. What really transpired then?

I have answered Wale Oshun in my book. I titled that chapter ‘Unkindest Cut’. His was the unkindest cut I can ever think of because both of them claimed to be Secretary-General of NADECO. But it was a lie. Neither of the two were part of the 49 people that founded NADECO. NADECO was formed in General Adeyinka Adebayo’s house in Ikeja and it was a coalition of so many forces. Neither of them was present and so they cannot tell the story of their forefathers. The closest person to me in exile in London was Wale Oshun. He was a regular visitor to my house. He should tell you first what transpired between us as individuals. When he was briefly detained in Ikoyi Prisons before he ran away to the United Kingdom (UK), I was regularly going to his house with Segun Adesegun, former deputy governor of Ogun state and Alhaji Sule Onabiyi to help the wife. My passport was seized and I was to attend an operation in 1993 when MKO Abiola asked me to come and return as the foremost governor behind him to come and face Babangida which I did. Then, I had nerve root problem and my nerve was almost cutting off by the time efforts were made to get my passport released. My wife’s passport was also seized. So she couldn’t travel with me. I had a three-hour operation at Princess Grace Hospital. If my relationship with Wale Oshun was that sour, how come he was the first person I saw by the time I came out of anesthesia? He was the first person by my bedside when I came back to life and opened my eyes. But, I know his problem.

What is his problem?

Under the SDP, he failed in Lagos. He was playing his politics in Lagos but lost out. So, he came to Ogun State and because both of us were in the Constituent Assembly in 1998 where I met him over 30 years ago, he pleaded with me that he wanted to be my running mate. I told him that Papa Awolowo was a democrat who practiced democracy to the core and as one of his staunch followers; I am not going to handpick my deputy. The field is open and he is free to come in, I will throw it open to contest. In his local government, he defeated my deputy in Ogun East (Waterside) local government and he emerged through the Option A4 at the first level. At the second level, he lost out to Rafiu Ogunleye. At the state level, he lost out in Ijebu. So he was not one of the candidates who were considered at the state level where Ogunleye won by narrow margin. So, that is the genesis of his attacks on me because he could not forgive me for not handpicking him as my deputy in 1991. He is still carrying that burden till today. At that time, there was party discipline. The party then decided that let us compensate this young man who failed in Lagos, who also failed to become deputy governor in Ogun and we gave him House of Reps ticket. After he won the election, I supported him to become Chief Whip as the governor of Ogun state then. We were that close. Senator Jubril Martins Kuye was in the Senate then and he became embittered because he wanted to become a principal officer in the Senate, but since I supported Wale Oshun, there was no way an Ijebu man can get principal officer in Ogun. So, this is the genesis of the bitterness of Wale Oshun. He and Okurounmu have not gone beyond that level ever. My God is great. I have gone beyond the level of a one-term governor. I became governor the second time under a different political dispensation. Okurounmu said he wants a public debate but I will not descend to the level of dancing naked in the market at the age of 80. There is a saying that when you see a mad person who picked your cloth at the riverside while you were swimming , instead of you to cover your nakedness with leaves, you now decided to run naked after the mad man, to retrieve your cloth, everybody will say they saw two mad people running on the road. Okurounmu is not a mad man but I will not join him in dancing naked on the street.

July 29, 2019
Delay of the Okurounmu Panel’s Report

The eagerly awaited report of the Okurounmu Panel on the proposed national conference/dialogue was submitted by the Committee to the President shortly before Christmas, over two weeks ago. But it has not yet been released or made available to the public. It is still shrouded in secrecy, leading to all kinds of speculation regarding its contents. Given the urgency and importance of the proposed national dialogue, and time constraints, the release of the report to the public should no longer be delayed. A public debate on the report before the national dialogue starts is necessary. This requires that the report be released to the public at once.

Already, the report is dogged by some controversies even though it has not yet been made public. One of its key members, former Senator Asemota, claimed that he had written a minority report which the panel did not present to the President along with its own report. Seizing on this claim the Ohaneze, the Igbo cultural cum political group, has rejected the report in advance even though it may not yet have seen the report, at least not officially. But it has since transpired that no minority report was submitted by Asemota to either the advisory panel or the presidency. Asemota was at the presentation of the panel’s report to the President. If he had a minority report he should have referred to this during the presentation of the report to the President. He did not. It is possible that he wrote one and was persuaded not to submit it to the panel or make it a minority report, indicating his disagreement with some of the recommendations of the panel. If he has any fundamental differences of views over the Panel’s report, then he should be courageous enough to say so publicly. The same thing can be validly stated in respect of Professor Ben Nwabueze whose position on the idea of the national dialogue has become increasingly ambiguous. Yet, as a leading constitutional lawyer, he should play a prominent role in the work of the conference, regardless of his advancing age.

Now that the report is with the presidency, urgent action should be taken to consider the recommendations of the panel. Of course, the President and his advisers need some time to carefully consider the recommendations of the advisory panel. But it should avoid unnecessary delay. This it can do by issuing a White Paper on the report. But the presidency is unlikely to go for this option because of time constraints. A White Paper on the report would have to be considered and prepared by a cabinet committee. This could take months, and much valuable time would have been lost in the process. The alternative to a White Paper is for the presidency to try and ‘harmonise’ the report with its own views. This could be done in a matter of weeks rather than months. But both the report and the harmonised version of it should be published simultaneously so as to ascertain the views of the presidency on the report.

President Jonathan has stated repeatedly that he has an open mind about the proposed national conference and that he would not seek to influence the committee’s report one way or the other. If that is the case, then it should not be too difficult to harmonise the recommendations of the panel and the views of the presidency on how to proceed with preparations for the conference.

Basically, there are two key issues that the panel was seized with and which the presidency has to consider. The first is the modality for the conference. Such issues as the number of delegates, and the modalities for their election or selection will have to be carefully considered. There are a number of options here which the presidency will have to consider very carefully. These include the use of federal constituencies as the electoral means of electing the delegates, resort to the political parties to nominate delegates for the conference, the equal representation of the various ethnic nationalities, and the use of the existing local governments for the electoral process.

Of these, the most effective and democratic means is for the delegates to the conference to be duly elected on party basis. This will ensure that all the registered political parties participate fully in the electoral process as well as the conference itself. This will confer greater legitimacy and credibility on the delegation to the conference. If the presidency decides to nominate some delegates to the conference, this should be limited in number to not more than 10 per cent of the total number of delegates. If the number of delegates nominated by the presidency is too large, it will lead to charges that the presidency has a hidden agenda in sponsoring the conference. In any case, the number of delegates at the conference should be minimal. Otherwise it will become unwieldy like the Obasanjo 2005 national political conference.

The second critical issue is the manner in which the resolutions or decisions of the ensuing conference are to be implemented. Obviously, a legal framework will be required. A decision will have to be taken whether or not the decisions of the conference will be referred to a national referendum for ratification. It is legally doubtful whether on its own the conference can take that decision. It is not a sovereign conference and does not have sovereign powers. Even the president cannot do that without recourse to the National Assembly. Another possibility is for the outcome of the conference to be sent to the National Assembly for ratification. But given the tardy manner in which the National Assembly has handled debates on the recommendations of the 2005 conference, this is an option that could lead to a considerable delay in the ratification process. If the National Assembly is to have a role in the implementation process, then such a role should be limited, given time constraints.

All these will place an enormous electoral burden on the Independent National Electoral Commission, still grappling with preparations for next year’s crucial general elections, including the presidential election. It is doubtful that it has the administrative and financial resources to cope with such a burden. Yet, it has to be involved in the election of delegates to the conference. Such elections must take place as early as soon possible, not later than March, after which the conference should start. The conference itself should not last more than three months to allow for enough time for its ratification before next year’s crucial elections.

The electoral programme is going to be crowded and this will raise some public doubts about the timing of the national conference. In fact, some critics view the whole idea of a national dialogue now as a hoax, arguing that the time is not propitious for such a dialogue. Yet, it is imperative that some of the critical issues concerning Nigeria’s political future be addressed before next year’s elections, after which it would be difficult to get any federal government to show any serious interest in a political national dialogue. Since its independence in 1960 Nigeria has held over a dozen constitutional conferences without much progress being made in resolving its fundamental political problems. Some public scepticism about these constitutional conferences that lead no where is now justified. But there are some constitutional anomalies in the 1999 Constitution that, if possible, should be rectified at the proposed conference.

Evidently, the post-colonial political structure and institutions are not working optimally. If Nigeria is to develop its economy more rapidly, then some residual political issues have to be resolved expeditiously. This could well be the last opportunity for the nation to attempt a fundamental restructuring of its political system to reduce the constraints on its economic development. The nation needs to urgently resolve such issues as federal-state relations, the extensive powers of the federal government, the issue of state police, the role of religion in the state, rising ethnic competition for power, and national security.

But the political problems of Nigeria go beyond its imperfect constitution. To that must be added the imperfection of its leaders. It is basically one of poor leadership at all levels in the country. There is also the lack of a national consensus on ethical values, the tenets of a truly democratic society, a sense of social justice and fair play, all of which are necessary in a truly democratic society. This is why it is imperative to release the report of the Okurounmu panel now and get the whole process of restructuring the country urgently started in earnest.

January 16, 2014
Okurounmu attacks Nwabueze over Igbo position on conference

Chairman of defunct Presidential Advisory Committee on the planned national conference, Dr. Femi Okurounmu, yesterday lambasted Prof. Ben Nwabueze for his comment on the report of the committee.

Okurounmu told reporters in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, that Prof Nwabueze and the Igbo Leaders of Thought, relied on “hearsay” to take their decision on the conference.

The Igbo Leaders of Thought, last week, said anything short of a new constitution would not be acceptable to the Igbo.

The leaders said the panel recommended an amendment to the constitution instead of a new one.

Okurounmu said: “The criticism was surely meant to be a setback for the conference by injecting a crisis of confidence between the committee, the people and the government. Without doubt, the critics have added more fuel into the fire of the opposition to the conference…

“That is why the chicanery of the critics must be exposed at once because by the time their unethical and unprofessional conduct is fully grasped by the public, they would merely have succeeded in destroying their own credibility, lowering their own esteem in the eyes of the public and eroding whatever respect they may have hitherto enjoyed.

“The Nwabueze-led group has clearly gone beyond the bounds of decency and decorum by fabricating a report purely from their own imagination and levelling such scathing criticisms against it with a view to discrediting the real report, which it has obviously not yet seen.

“I shall resist the temptation here to disclose what my committee’s report actually recommends in an attempt to refute the unsavoury allegations against the report. This is because it is the President who appointed us, and it was to him that we submitted the report.

“It is, therefore, up to the President to decide whether or not to make the report public. I can say very emphatically, however, that the above allegations are false. They are wild, mendacious, obfuscatory and ill-intentioned.

“As Africans, we respect elders, and Professor Nwabueze is not only an elder but also a seasoned academician. It is, therefore, amazing that he would be part of a group, much more lead the group, that would be criticising a report they have never seen or read. That is very much unlike how leaders and elders behave.

“It is also known and well published in the media that Prof Nwabueze is nursing an illusion that he is one Mr. Know-All for Nigeria, who Mr. President should entrust with the sole responsibility of drafting the Constitution for Nigeria.

“It is either he is put in charge to do it and do it alone the way he wants or whoever does it is not doing it right, even if the person is doing it the same way he will have done it. It just had to be Prof Nwabueze. He thinks he has the solutions to Nigeria’s problems and anything that is different from his solution could be wrong.”

January 9, 2014
Jonathan: Assembly to ratify conference’s report

Okurounmu Panel for Akure Friday

President Goodluck Jonathan restated yesterday his conviction that a national conference is inevitable now.

He also said the decisions of the conference would be taken to the National Assembly and the Houses of Assembly for ratification and incorporation into the constitution.

He insisted that his motive is clean and that he plans to “hand over a country that is better than what we have met to our children”.

Critics, foremost among them former Lagos Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, believe that the motive for the conference and its timing are suspicious. It is coming 18 months before the next general elections, which Dr. Jonathan is likely to contest.

Dr. Jonathan spoke when he received members of the Muslim Ummah in his administration, led by Vice President Namadi Sambo.

With Sambo on the Sallah visit to the Presidential Villa were Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim; Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar and National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).

Also with them were former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Ahmadu Ali and Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, Ms Jumoke Akinjide.

Catholic Archbishop of Abuja John Cardinal Onaiyekan was also there.

The President urged Nigerians to prevail on their representatives at the federal and state assemblies to get the recommendations of the conference enshrined in the Constitution.

“So we need to come up with some bills in those areas we have agreed and we’ll push it to the National Assembly. Of course, some of those bills have not come out from the National Assembly, but we believe that even in the constitutional amendment that is going on, some will be useful.

“And this national dialogue is even critical and is coming at the right time because the National Assembly is thinking about how they will amend the constitution. So, the results of the discussion, of course, will be passed to the National Assembly.”

The President said: “We must work very hard; we must talk to ourselves the way that our children will not develop hate among themselves. And that is one of the key reasons that we decided to have a conversation as a nation.

“At times, when you listen to radio and read in the newspapers and you see sometimes even our elders that are supposed to give us leadership, quarreling over nothing, sometimes even insulting themselves and even making provocative statements that will sometimes instigate one group against the other. We decided that we cannot continue that way; the talking must have a direction. What have been happening on the pages of the newspapers are discussions that have no direction.

“We want a country that will have a direction. So, the discussions must have a direction; the discussions must lead Nigeria to where we want to be, not a divided Nigeria, not a Nigeria that is sown on hate, not a Nigeria that will be based on acrimony, ethnicity and tribal sentiments in the way we conduct ourselves.

“That is a reason we set up that committee and we have given them the free will. Some people are still instigating others that the president is doing this; the government does not have the capacity to do that. We are totally committed to do what is right.

“We don’t need to carry cane to flog Nigerians to show that we are determined.

“I assure you that I, my Vice President and our team will continue to do our best for Nigeria so that our children will be happy in the end.”

Jonathan thanked the Muslim community and other visitors for finding time to pay homage.

He said: “Some of you have been consistent. We thank God for that, in spite of the challenges we are celebrating.

“We have challenges, but I’m glad that Allah made it possible for us to be here today. Other countries have had their own challenges; 53 years is a long period for an adult but as a nation, we are very young.

“That is why we are totally committed to do our best to ensure that we pass a Nigeria to our young people that are coming up a Nigeria that people will live in peace, a Nigeria that wherever you go you call the next person your own brother or sister, a Nigeria that our young children who will become adult will say that I am proud to be a Nigerian. Not a Nigeria that people will kill them probably because they don’t recognise them.”

He insisted that terrorist killings have no religious or ethnic inclination. “The killings that have been going on in some parts of the country have nothing to do with religion and ethnicity.

“That is why I asked those who killed those 50 students (in Yobe College of Agriculture) whether they even bothered about their religion or ethnicity? It has nothing to do with religion, it has nothing to do with ethnicity, it is because the world generally is experiencing terrorism,” he said.

The President was also optimistic that some key recommendations of the Justice Uwais Electoral Report would be captured in the on-going constitution amendment.

He said: “Even the Jusitice Uwais Committee that was set up, its report was passed on to the National Assembly. In 2010, we brought Belgore and others and I said in 2005 Nigerians discussed some things, why don’t we begin to implement some of them”.

Vice President Sambo congratulated the President for his successful outing at the United Nations General Assembly in the United States; Nigeria’s 53rd Independence anniversary and the Super Eagles’ victory over Ethiopia in the first leg of the final round of the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifier.

Sambo hailed the President for his efforts towards ensuring political stability in the country.

Sambo and Akinjide presented the President with a Sallah greeting card.

October 16, 2013
Okurounmu panel begins town hall meetings

The National Conference Advisory Committee headed by Senator Femi Okurounmu will hold its nation-wide consultation in a town hall meeting format.

The committee will also hold a retreat, where there will be exchange of ideas and exchange of knowledge between it and experts who will act as resource persons.

The consultation across the six geo-political zones will kick off in the Southwest, with the first town hall meeting scheduled for Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Friday.

According to the committee chairman, Akure and Lagos were chosen by the committee for the Southwest town meetings, where the members of the committee will collate the views, ideas and opinions of the people.

He said: “We are going round the country to collate opinions on the terms of reference before us. All Nigerians are expected at the meetings. Nobody is excluded. You journalists are also expected because you are Nigerians”

Okurounmu did not disclose the structure of the meetings, the venues, time frame and logistic preparations.

He said: “The committee started sitting immediately after it was inaugurated in Abuja. The members of the committee are now doing consultations. It is a big task and we do not have the monopoly of ideas. That is why we are holding town meetings in two cities each across the six geo-political zones”.

The other locations for the proposed meetings are Southeast: Enugu and Owerri; Southsouth: Calabar and Benin-City; Northcentral: Jos and Minna; Northeast: Maiduguri and Bauchi; and Northwest: Kaduna and Sokoto. The meetings will not take place at the proposed cities simultaneously.

After the inaugural meeting billed for Akure, the committee will hold the next one in Jos, the capital of Plateau State.

Another member of the committee said: “The committee members are the coordinators of the meetings. All Nigerians are invited. We know that all the people cannot attend in reality. But critical voices and representatives of ethno-national organisations—Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Afenifere, Ohaneze—are expected. At the town hall meetings, the committee will receive peoples’ presentations. Memoranda will also be received through e-mails.

“The motive is to collate the peoples’ opinions and advice. The committee will be driven by peoples advice. This is the first step in making the people to take the ownership of the process. There will be resource persons, not consultants, to assist the committee. Thus, there will be a retreat in-between the meetings to afford the members of the committee an opportunity to listen and tap from the experts”.

The Secretary of the Afenifere faction led by Pa Rueben Fasoranti, Chief Sehinde Arogbofa, said the pan-Yoruba socio-political group was prepared for the meeting. Although he could not confirm the details of Afenifere’s plans, he said: “Afenifere has been in the vanguard of the Sovereign National Conference. We are prepared to attend. We want it. Afenifere is meeting on it. We will have a representative there. Our leader will choose our representative”.

The programme of the committee is as follows: Akure, Southwest, October 18; Jos, North Central, October 21; Minna, North Central, October 23; Calabar, South-south, October 25; Benin, South-south, October 28; Enugu, Southeast, October 29; Owerri, Southeast, October 30; Lagos, Southwest, October 31; Sokoto, Northwest, November 4; Maiduguri, Northeast, November 5; Bauchi, Northeast, November 9; Kaduna, Northwest, November 11 and Abuja, FCT, November 13.

October 16, 2013
Knocks, kudos as Jonathan names dialogue committee

Okurounmu heads 13-man planning panel

The President set the ball rolling yesterday for the convocation of “a national dialogue”.

The action drew wide reactions, with some hailing it as a step in the right direction and others condemning it as a suspicious and diversionary.

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan set up a committee, led by Dr. Femi Okurounmu, to prepare the blueprint for the conference within one month after which the government will determine how the talkshop will be conducted.

Okurounmu, an engineer, is a former university teacher and a senator between 1999 and 2003.

Dr. Akilu Indabawa is the secretary of the committee.

The other members of the committee, according to a statement by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator Anyim Pius Anyim last night, are: Prof George Obiozor, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, Sen. Khairat Gwadabe, Sen. Timothy Adudu, Col. Tony Nyiam (rtd), Prof. Funke Adebayo, Mrs Mairo Ahmed Amshi, Dr. Abubakar Sadiq, Alh. Dauda Birma, Mallam Buhari Bello and Mr. Tony Uranta.

The panel, which is to be inaugurated by the President on Monday, is to:

•consult expeditiously with all relevant stakeholders with a view to drawing up a feasible agenda for the proposed national dialogue/conference;

•make recommendations to government on structure and modalities for the proposed national dialogue/conference;

•make recommendations to government on how representation of various interest groups at the national dialogue/conference will be determined;

•advise on a timeframe for the national dialogue/conference;

•advise government on a legal framework for the national dialogue/conference;

•advise government on legal procedures and options for integrating decisions and outcomes of the national dialogue/ conference into the constitution and laws of the nation; and to

•advise government on any other matters that may be related or incidental to the proposed national dialogue/conference.”

The President’s declaration came after a similar call by Senate President David Mark for a national conference. Mark spoke on the opening day of the new Senate’s session last month.

The plan for the national dialogue is the highlight of the 20 minutes broadcast by the President to mark the 53rd Independence Anniversary.

Giving reasons for the dialogue, Jonathan said: “Fellow Nigerians, our Administration has taken cognisance of suggestions over the years by well-meaning Nigerians on the need for a National Dialogue on the future of our beloved country. I am an advocate of dialogue. When there are issues that stoke tension and bring about friction, it makes perfect sense for the interested parties to come together to discuss.

“In demonstration of my avowed belief in the positive power of dialogue in charting the way forward, I have decided to set up an Advisory Committee whose mandate is to establish the modalities for a

National Dialogue or Conference. The sommittee will also design a framework and come up with recommendations as to the form, structure and mechanism of the process.”

He added: “I expect the report to be ready in one month, following which the nation will be briefed on the nomenclature, structure and modalities of the Dialogue.”

Dr. Jonathan said the role of democracy is crucial to improving the fortunes of “not just this country, but of our entire continent”. “Democratic values encourage diversity.

They encourage discourse. They encourage disagreement. This is the joy of democracy, Jonathan said, adding: “Ultimately, the ballot box gives us all the opportunity to instigate change. When democracy works, it does not destroy a nation. It unites and defines it.”

In his view, Nigerians have reasons to celebrate. He said the occasion was not ripe for scoring political points, but to focus on the future as Nigerians are already divided economically, politically and ethnically.

Jonathan said his administration had built a robust a economy and that getting the remaining job done was a matter of time.

“No matter the challenges, we have every reason to be proud. We are waging steady battle against poverty, unemployment and corruption. We have a duty as Nigerians to always put Nigeria first.

We must continue to focus on developing the nation and not selfish motives,” he said.

The President assured that his administration would not rest until the nation is wrested from terror, saying: “No cost or idea will be spared. Let us join together to fight this evil of extremism.”

He said: “Today’s Independence anniversary is unique because it is the last before we mark our centenary. On January 1, 2014, Nigeria will be 100 years old as a country, following the amalgamation of the Protectorates of Southern and Northern Nigeria in 1914. Beloved country men and women, traditionally, the presidential address on this symbolic day has served two purposes. It has, quite rightly, been used to remind all Nigerians about our heritage. It has also allowed my predecessors and I to comment on our stewardship to the nation and make political capital out of a state occasion.

“But this year, I will not. Because, today of all days, we should not be scoring political points. On the contrary, in this last year of the first century of our Union, we should be addressing our future as a Nation and a people. I admit that these may not be the best of times for our nation. Our people are divided in many ways – ethnically, religiously, politically, and materially. I cannot hide from this reality. I cannot hide from my own responsibilities.”

The President described politics as a selfless service to the community and urged the political elite who are placed in positions of great trust and responsibility to live up to the billing.

“Politics has its own high moral principles which abhor distracting and divisive rhetoric. As men and women in leadership, we must continually focus on service, duty, responsibility, and the next generation. Those who are elected to govern at all levels must focus on improving the lives of our people, not selfish ambition.”

All Nigerians, he said, should be statesmen.

The President went on: “My clarion call therefore, on this special day, is that we should begin to align our political utterances and conduct solely to the nobler passions that unite our people. Politicians do not make a nation; ordinary folks do. Our nation is made great by the big and small efforts of regular citizens. These are the teachers and men and women in academics who inculcate the knowledge and wisdom that transform into tomorrow’s wealth; the traders and market women who tend to our everyday needs; the farmers whose labour feeds the nation; the artisans whose work ensures that our homesteads are well maintained; the doctors, pharmacists, nurses, accountants, bankers, engineers, and other professionals who add value to our lives; the sportsmen and women and those in the creative industry who bring honour and fame to our nation. And the men and women of our armed forces and security services who toil day and night so that you and I may live in a safe and secure nation.”

According to him, it is the individual and collective heroism of these Nigerians that has placed Nigeria on the path of greatness as he lamented that politics and politicians sometimes distract the people and create unnecessary tension.

“But our independence celebration is about the same people, the people of Nigeria: their industry, sense of mission and purpose, and their patience and perseverance as we navigate historical turns in our march towards prosperity and self-sufficiency. Today, I salute the people of Nigeria. My Compatriots, history has proven that nations take time to evolve. We should rejoice in our democracy because it enables us to be united by our differences, not destroyed by them. And, there is no more crucial time for us to be united than now.”

Comparing the security situation in Nigeria with that of Syria, Jonathan said: “The threats we face may be real and immediate. But we are not alone in this regard. It is a difficult season for much of the world: industrialised or developing; rich or poor. What matters are the lessons we learn, the wisdom we demonstrate, and the victory we snatch from the jaws of likely defeat. And I tell you, more than anything else, there are lessons to learn, and every cause to be thankful. If I must cite one example, take Syria. As we all pray and work for a return to normalcy in Syria, it would be helpful for us to reflect on

the fact that Syria was once a peaceful, thriving, multi-cultural nation which played host to a mosaic of religions and ethnicities.”

“But that once idyllic nation has today become a theatre of human misery of unimaginable proportions as a result of the activities of extremist forces. Fellow Nigerians, the spectre of extremism haunts every democracy in every corner of the globe. While we celebrate our independence and good fortune, our hearts must grieve for those who have lost loved ones in numerous terrorist activities around the world.”

“Back home, I admit being overtaken by deep feelings of grief, whenever news reached me of the appalling atrocities in some of our States, especially the North Eastern part of our country. Just two days ago, terrorist elements attacked the College of Agriculture in Gujba, Yobe State, killing a number of innocent students of the institution and other residents in cold blood, most of them in their sleep. This act of barbarism is a demonstration of the extent to which evil forces will go to destabilise our nation. But I assure you, they will not succeed.”

“My heart goes out to the families of all those who have fallen victim of these dastardly acts. Our Administration will not rest until every Nigerian is free from the oppression of terrorism. I reassure you that no cost will be spared, no idea will be ignored, and no resource will be left untapped in the quest to enable our people live without fear.”

“On this day, I implore every Nigerian – wherever you are, whatever language you speak, whatever your religious persuasion, whichever political party you support -: let us join together to fight this evil of extremism.”

The President praised the Armed Forces and security agencies for their dedication and bravery in the face of grave danger, and in the name of our collective liberty.

October 2, 2013