Posted by By FEMI BABAFEMI and GABRIEL DIKE and BUCHY ENYINNAYA on
Government's effort to get two prominent leaders of the Pro-National Conference (PRONACO), Pa Anthony Enahoro and Prof. Wole Soyinka, to be part of the National Dialogue suffered a setback on Wednesday as they rejected their nomination with a vow to go ahead with plans to hold a parallel National Conference.
Government's effort to get two prominent leaders of the Pro-National Conference (PRONACO), Pa Anthony Enahoro and Prof. Wole Soyinka, to be part of the National Dialogue suffered a setback on Wednesday as they rejected their nomination with a vow to go ahead with plans to hold a parallel National Conference.
The government had on Tuesday, released the list of Nigerians, including Pa Enahoro and Prof. Soyinka, who have been selected to participate in the government-organised National Dialogue scheduled to kick off on Monday, February 21, 2005.
But in a swift response to their nomination on Wednesday, the two leaders of PRONACO rejected the government's offer. They, however, stressed that their decision was not meant to foreclose further negotiations with the Federal Government on the conference.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, Prof. Soyinka said he would not participate in the government-organised conference on his personal capacity, but may consider doing so if his organisation was invited.
"If my organisation, Citizens Forum or any other group to which I belong, is invited, we will consider it. But if I am personally invited, I won't take it because I am occupied with the original confab," Prof. Soyinka said.
The Nobel laureate expressed doubt over the sincerity of government on the National Dialogue, stressing that leaders of PRONACO, who are the originators of the National Conference, were never consulted before government went ahead to organise its own dialogue.
"I expect the President to consult with the original event being organised by PRONACO because what they are organising is a parallel event to ours," Soyinka added.
Prof. Soyinka, however, said that if the outcome of the National Dialogue meets their targets, they would have no need to go ahead with their own conference.
"We are comfortable with the outcome of government's National Dialogue as long as it meets our targets, we will go home and celebrate because we have identified the problems while they proffer the solution," Soyinka said.
Also speaking, Pa Enahoro, however, gave a ray of hope on the possibility of future reconciliation, stressing: "We are not still foreclosing talking with anybody, either with government or anybody outside government."
He explained that 68 ethnic and civil society groups have already lined up behind the PRONACO-organised National Conference, which he promised would start not later than June this year.
The elder statesman warned that PRONACO would resist any attempt to disrupt its conference. "If anybody tries to disrupt our conference, he will find himself in conflict with the people who will react."
On the PRONACO conference, a communique issued by the group said delegates would be elected and accredited not later than March 31.
Aside this, delegates are expected to be funded by their constituencies while all participating organisations shall contribute N10,000 to PRONACO secretariat.
Those present at the PRONACO briefing include Prof. Soyinka, Pa Enahoro, factional leader of the Oodua People's Congress (OPC), Dr. Fredrick Fasehun and Rev. Adebiyi of Afenifere, among others.
In a related development, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has described the proposed National Dialogue as a charade and circus show whose outcome would not be different from the Okigbo and Oputa reports.
ASUP National President, Mallam Sulayman Ali, told newsmen in Lagos Wednesday, that the national conference would not produce the desired result as the real stakeholders are not involved. He said ASUP was opposed to the dialogue because it would end up like a circus show.