*To Chart Way forward on Constitutional Dialogue…
By Ken Afor
Prominent personalities in Nigeria, including former Heads of State and Presidents, General Yakubu Gowon (retd), Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, a former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, among others, will converge in Lagos on Monday, March 18, 2024, to address issues surrounding the country’s constitution.
Also expected are Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, Former Chief of Army Staff, Theophilus Danjuma, Chairman of the Northern Elders’ Forum, Ango Abdullahi, Leader of the Niger Delta, Chief Edwin Clark, Former Chief of Defence Staff, Alani Akinrinade, Northern Elder, Tanko Yakassai, and Leader of Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, serving and former governors, and legislators are expected at the event.
These eminent leaders from both Northern and Southern Nigeria, along with other influential figures, are billed to discuss the future of Nigeria with key focus on the constitution, says the organisers.
The event will hold at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos.
According to the organisers, the discussion is to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2014 National Confab.
Chairman of the Patriots, Chief Anyaoku, who announced the agenda of the constitutional dialogue on behalf of the organisers, said that the event is aimed at fostering national consensus among Nigerian elites regarding the country’s constitutional future and ensuring inclusivity for all its diverse peoples and citizens.
According to Chief Anyaoku, the National Dialogue is to honour the late Prof. Ben Nwabueze, SAN and also to mobilize Nigerians towards overcoming barriers to national cohesion and good governance.
He said that late Prof. Nwabueze was a leading advocate for the convocation of the 2014 National Confab, inaugurated a decade ago by former president Jonathan on March 17, 2014.
He noted that Nwabueze’s death serves as a poignant reminder of his dedication to Nigeria’s advancement.
The former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations emphasized that the historic event is expected to set the pace for a robust citizens’ agenda for the ongoing constitution review process by the Federal Government, led by the National Assembly.
He explained that the initiative aims to promote the popular reconfiguration, cohesion, stability, and prosperity of Nigeria by advocating for a new democratic people’s constitution to replace the current military decree No. 24 of 1999, forced on Nigerians as the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).
Other eminent stakeholders expected to participate and address the National Summit under the theme “Lawful Procedures for Actualizing a People’s Constitution for Nigeria” include keynote speakers, discussants, the presidency, former presidents, former vice presidents, serving and former governors, the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives, traditional rulers, eminent national leaders of thought, scholars, members of the judiciary, captains of the private sector, leaders of organized civil society and labor, and various other Nigerians.
