PDP MUST ENSURE NATIONAL DIALOGUE -AKINYEMI

Akinyemi
Former external affairs minister, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has warned the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop its disdain for the agitation for the call for a national conference.

Akinyemi said such attitude could spell doom for the country.

Giving his voice in support of the ambition of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to attain the position of national chairman of the PDP, Akinyemi said the party would be the better for it as he noted that the aspirant was a man of strong personality.

Delivering a public lecture, The Individual, the Party and National Unity yesterday in Abuja, the former minister warned that the nation could be pushing its luck too far if those holding elective offices did not drop their aversion to a national dialogue.

Akinyemi noted that the political elite in the country should drop their complacency, as 'the international environment has been more amenable to the rights of self determination.

'There should be no complacency in handling issues confronting this nation. The Nigerian project is work in progress. The international community may not provide too many windows of opportunity to resolve all these outstanding issues. Depending on which side of the divide one is on, what can regard the Biafran war as an unfortunate war fought at the wrong time (the Biafran side) or at the right time (the Nigerian side).

'Since the Nigerian civil war, the international environment has been more amenable to the rights of self determination being exercised by units within independent states. 'The Soviet Union has broken into constituent national units; Checkoslovakia broken into two constituent units; Yugoslavia has broken into several units and Scotland is going to have a referendum on whether to remain part of the United Kingdom or not; nearer home, Sudan has broken into two and Ethiopia has had a part broken off.