EXPOSED: NATIONAL CONFERENCE IS A FRAUD

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State,on Friday 1^st of November, said a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, Col. Tony Nyiam (rtd) has exposed the planned national conference as a fraud, also added that  the excesses of the former army officer showed  that the conference was being planned to fail.

Mr. Oshiomhole in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria,while reacting to Col. Nyiam’s defence of his action said:

“Our attention has been drawn to the lame and odious response of Col Tony Nyiam to his shameful action at the sitting of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue in Benin City, on Monday October 28 where he fully exposed his hand as a biased member of a committee which should be above political, ethnic and indeed other sentiments.

“We wonder when Nyiam became the President’s spokesman as to want to drag the President’s name into his shameful act. We are, however, not surprised, going by his antecedents; the Benin incident was just another manifestation of Nyiam’s lack of respect for constituted authority and his love for disunity.

“Nyiam said Governor Adams Oshiomhole was “talking down on the people”. We wonder when airing one’s opinion or saying ‘I believe that the outcome of this conference will not be different from that of other conferences we have had in the past’ means talking down on the people.

“Nyiam deserves our pity. He might still be hallucinating, thinking he is an Army officer who must be obeyed. We recognize that no military officer worth his salt would openly disagree with a superior or a governor at a forum such as the one in Benin City, but again, we recognize that the maxim “Officer and Gentleman” does not apply to Nyiam as he has once again displayed to the people in the open.

“We find it interesting that Nyiam has exposed the undercurrent motive of the conference which has also confirmed Governor Oshiomhole’s initial fears about viability, necessity and desirability of same.

It will be recalled that the committee which was inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House on October 7, has one month within which to conclude its assignment.

The terms of reference of the committee are:

·         to consult expeditiously with all relevant stakeholders with a view to drawing up a feasible agenda for the proposed national dialogue/conference; 

·          to make recommendations to government on structure and modalities for the proposed national dialogue/conference; 

·          to make recommendations on how representation of various interest groups at the national dialogue/conference will be determined,

·         to advise the government on a time frame for the national dialogue/conference;  its  legal framework,   legal procedures and options for integrating decisions and outcomes of the national   conference into the constitution; and

·          to advise the government on    any other matters that may be related or incidental to the  conference.

Jonathan who said that: “I expect the report to be ready in one month, following which the nation will be briefed on the nomenclature, structure and modalities of the dialogue/ conference.” 

However, with the manipulation, arrogance and mediocrity with which Colonel Nyiam treated Governor Oshiomole ,an elected public official shows that this National conference is meant to fail.