National Dialogue Conference: What Palm Wine Tapper Can See.

PALM WINE TAPPER

By Prince Kelly Udebhulu

"...those kicking against the national dialogue conference are people interested in the next election, and not the good of the country"...Palm Wine Tapper.

Expectations are high for what the national dialogue conference will achieve for Nigerians. There is a perception by some Nigerians that the objectives for the dialogue have not been well defined or well communicated, and that there is an expectation gap between the political elites that will participate in the dialogue and the broader population. Some also remain critical of the balance of representation at the dialogue regarding marginalized groups such as youth and women. The southern, western, eastern and northern question remains key, with fears that their representatives will not have enough grassroots support to legitimize their participations because selection or election to the conference will be politicized.

Going by the Presidency`s statement, the handling committee’s terms of reference are:  to consult expeditiously with all relevant stakeholders with a view to drawing up a feasible agenda for the proposed national dialogue/conference; make recommendations to government on the structure and modalities for the proposed national dialogue/conference; and make recommendations on how representation of various interest groups at the national dialogue/conference will be determined.

The palm wine tapper`s  answer to all the questions is..." whether Nigeria of today fit to remain One Nation will not be in the agenda of the Confab"

...to be continued

By Prince Kelly Udebhulu

you can tweet to @princekelly75