| NEWS
|
National
Metro
Africa
World
Business
|
|
|
| OPINION
|
Editorial
Columnists
Contributors
Letters
Cartoons
Discussions
Outlook
|
|
|
| SPORTS
|
Home
Abroad
Golf Weekly
Results
|
|
|
| FEATURES
|
Focus
Policy & Politics
Arts
Media
Science
Natural Health
Law
Education
Weekend
Friday Review
Executive Briefs
Fashion
Food & Drink
Auto Wheels
Friday Worship
Saturday Magazine
Sunday Magazine
Ibru Ecumenical Centre
Agro Care
|
|
|
|
|
Anyaoku restates call for national dialogue
From Martins Oloja and Madu Onuorah, Abuja
THE forum was to discuss Nigeria's foreign policy thrust, which even President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday admitted was in need of a review. But eminent statesman, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, seized the opportunity to touch on a sore internal controversy: the convocation of a national conference. A government willing to hold discussions with militia leaders, Anyaoku declared, should not find a national conference a difficult thing to convene.
Indeed, Chief Anyaoku, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) on International Relations, told the august audience on a retreat on Nigeria's foreign policy at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that the need for the "national dialogue" had become urgent.
The former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations also urged the country to radically trim down its cost of administration and called for more serious work on Nigeria's bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations.
The retreat, which continues today, is to look at the "long-term security concerns, particularly who are Nigeria's first-level allies in our sub-region and the world? What infrastructure do we require to attract and sustain the continuing support of our allies."
Anyaoku, who gave an overview of the challenges to the foreign policy, said peace at home is imperative for any meaningful success of the country's foreign policy actions.
He said: "In speaking about peace at home, I would like to draw attention to the need for us to reconfigure our constitution with a view to achieving a more meaningful federation, a federation that will be more conducive to attaining national peace and stability and national development."
The statesman added: "In my view, the Federal Government, which has demonstrated to the general applause a willingness to hold conversation with the representative of a restive group in the country should, in our present circumstances, be willing and able to take the initiative to organise a national dialogue of the representative of the country's ethnic groups. The aim of such dialogue would be to discuss and produce a national consensus on the fundamentals of the constitution and on the ways of strengthening our country's corporate existence."
He said that the reconfiguration of the constitution should take into account the economy of running so many levels of government in a developing society as Nigeria.
His words: "There are currently 812 "governments" in Nigeria, made up of 774 local governments, 37 state governments including, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Federal Government." He then added: Our country must be one of the most administered countries in the world. Our present cost of administration impacts very adversely on the resources available for our national development. We must free the resources spent on government and deploy them on development, which will palpably benefit our toiling and unemployed masses. In this way, we would give our people a greater stake in the democratic dispensation."
Other challenges facing the country's foreign policy direction include the increasing economic importance of the Gulf of Guinea, the quest for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council; the debt burden; and funding for external posts and missions.
Anyaoku also urged the government to make greater funding for diplomatic posts abroad a priority, saying that other contenders from Africa were better placed in the competition.
If the country's bid for the seat is to succeed, he said: "Nigeria must endeavour to out-campaign such other formidable African candidates as Egypt and South Africa. It must match them in regular payment of its dues to the UN and its specialised agencies, as well as proper funding of its missions abroad, particularly its permanent mission to the United Nations."
The retreat is being attended by former Heads of State, including Chief Ernest Adegunle Shonekan, former ministers of Foreign Affairs, academics, top government officials, other stakeholders and members of the diplomatic corps.
Obasanjo noted that issues to be discussed include particular foreign policy actions or structure of the government, sub-structural issues underlying foreign policy actions, historical and other consequences of these actions.
Others, he disclosed, include "the character of social forces and the patterns of socio-political contentions and engagements; our economic structures and the patterns of production, distribution and capital accumulation; the level of science and technology developments; the disposition of the political class or power elite to overall growth and development." The character, viability and legitimacy of the institutions and structure of governance, the industrial foundation of economy, the degree of patriotism, the dedication to duty and preparedness of the average citizen to defend the nation and its interest; and the quality of the defence institutions and forces are also on the agenda.`****okay
|
|
|
|
|
| BUSINESS SERVICES
|
Property
Appointments
Money Watch
Market Report
Capital Market
Business Travels
Maritime Watch
Industry Watch
Energy Report
Insurance
Compulife
|
|
|
|
|
