A closed door meeting was held yesterday, 20th November in Lagos by members of the National Working Committee
of the National Summit Group (NSG) on its plans for a national dialogue.
While speaking to Newsmen before the meeting, the NSG Executive Secretary, Mr Tony Uranta said that the essence of the dialogue was for Nigerians to come together and identify their differences for understanding.
“This is not the same as a national conference. We want Nigerians to use dialogue as a tool to expedite understanding amongst all groups and interests in the country,” Uranta said.
Earlier, Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai said that the NSG had emerged in the bid to seek amicable resolution of the differences among the ethnic groups that make up Nigeria.
“We reached out to diverse interest groups and agreed on using dialogue to resolve our differences.
“This committee was elected to pursue the objective of propounding National Dialogue as a veritable tool to attaining peace, equity and progress in a truly united Nigeria,’’ Yakasai said.
He said that the meeting was convened to fashion out the necessary reaching out to the wider body politic while working out modalities for convening the national dialogue.
“This includes who should convene it and how to convene it without contravening the extant laws of our nation.
“We are also to consider how delegates to the dialogue are to be chosen and other such fundamental issues without the resolving which, our vision could remain no more than a pipe-dream,” he said.
Issues discussed during the meeting included the consideration of current move by the national assembly to amend the constitution, fuel subsidy report, and discussion on the security challenges facing the country and the way forward.