Eminent Nigerians, including former heads of state and presidents of Nigeria, Yakubu Gowon; Olusegun Obasanjo; Goodluck Jonathan; Abdulsalami Abubakar; former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Emeka Anyaoku; Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka; former Chief of Army Staff, TY Danjuma; Chairman of Northern Elders’ Forum, Ango Abdullahi; leader of Niger Delta, Edwin Clark; former Chief of Defence Staff, Alani Akinrinade; northern elder, Tanko Yakassai; leader of Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo; Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; serving and former governors and legislators; eminent northern and southern leaders among other leaders of thought in Nigeria are now set to address the constitutional dialogue on the future of Nigeria, holding on Monday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos.
The dialogue is being midwifed by The Patriots, an advocacy group led by Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Anyaoku said the dialogue was designed to help build national consensus, especially among the Nigerian elite on the constitutional future of Nigeria, particularly how to make Nigeria work for all its diverse peoples and citizens.
In a major national broadcast, the foremost international diplomat and chair of the Eminent Leaders of Thought known as The Patriots announced that the national dialogue, aimed at mobilising Nigerians towards breaking the barriers against the cohesion and good governance of the country, would hold in honour of late Prof Ben Nwabueze SAN, a foremost champion and protagonist of the convocation of the 2014 National Confab inaugurated 10 Years ago on 17th March, 2014 by President Goodluck Jonathan and whose body was laid to rest last month in his home town in Atani, Anambra State.
The historic national meeting is also expected to set a formidable citizens’ agenda for the on-going constitution review process of the Federal Government initiated by the National Assembly towards the popular reconfiguration, cohesion, stability and prosperity of Nigeria through a constructive advocacy for new democratic people’s constitution to replace the subsisting military decree No 24 of 1999 in force in Nigeria as 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended)
Other eminent stakeholders slated to participate and speak at the national summit under the Theme: Lawful Procedures for Actualising a People’s Constitution for Nigeria are keynote speakers, discussants, the Presidency, former presidents, former vice-presidents, serving and former governors, leadership of the Senate and House of Reps, traditional rulers, eminent national leaders of thought, scholars, members of the Judiciary, captains of the private sector, leaders of organised civil society and Labour, among other Nigerians.
