Enahoro, others meet tomorrow, forge ahead on national confab
By Idowu Ajanaku (Lagos), Adamu Abuh (Kano)
SOME prominent Nigerians who have been at the forefront of the campaign for the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) are breaking fresh grounds.
Besides winning more disciples to their fold, the conference campaigners will tomorrow in Lagos meet to receive memoranda from various ethnic nationalities, organised Labour, students and other stakeholders on the modalities for holding the conference.
They have also concluded arrangements to open offices in the country's six geo-political zones to sensitise Nigerians and ensure an inclusive participation in their activities.
The project is being mid-wifed by the crusader under the umbrella of Nigerians United For Democracy (NUD)
The NUD is co-ordinated by elder statesman , Chief Anthony Enahoro, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and Chief Olu Falae. The Guardian learnt that the leaders opted to forge ahead with the plan following the massive support of Nigerians for the conference.
The Enahoro-led group may have decided to brush aside the opposition of the Federal Government to the conference.
Indications that the activists and other prominent politicians were determined to go ahead with their plans emerged after a meeting chaired by Enahoro in Lagos.
In the enlarged group are eminent politicians like Chief Supo Sonibare, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite and Chief Chekwas Okorie, among others.
The group which met in Lagos on Tuesday, also resolved to open offices in the six geo-political zones of the country just as it called on Nigerians to support its efforts to organise the conference.
It had earlier extended invitation to The Citizen' Forum headed by Prof. Wole Soyinka and some legal luminaries like Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana and Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, among others.
Confirming the impending meeting, Sonibare, the Deputy Leader of Afenifere in Lagos and a member of the NUD, said the group would throw its door open for memoranda from individuals, groups, and ethnic nationalities on how to organise the conference.
He said that the NUD had the mandate of all the leaders of the nation's six zones to co-ordinate the conference to avoid confusion and duplication of ideas. His words: "We are going to meet on Friday in Lagos to receive position papers from individuals, groups, ethnic nationalities and other stakeholders on how to organise the conference. After that, a committee will be set up to study the papers and come up with a position that will reflect the views of the entire Nigerians on how to organise the conference."
Sonibare confirmed that the Enahoro - led group had been mandated to direct the exercise.
To him, it is the people of Nigeria that will determine the shape, and modalities of the conference.
He, therefore, called on Nigerians to present their papers to the forum.
"This is an opportunity Nigerians have been waiting for, I am appealing to them on behalf of Enahoro, Musa Balarabe and Falae to come out and present their papers to the group at the Airport Hotel".
Sonibare said the group was determined to continue with the conference because of the lingering political crisis situation in the country.
"Everybody wants a national conference. It is only Obasanjo and those who are exploiting the people through the system that are opposed to it," he said.
Asked if the group would not be confronting the government by going ahead with the confab, Sonibare said: "Nigerians have the right to meet and discuss their future. If this conference holds, it will be the first time since independence that the entire people will have the opportunity to contribute on how the future of Nigeria should be."
