President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday explained that the proposed national conference was borne out of the need to checkmate the hateful, provocative and inciting comments of some elder statesmen in the country.
He spoke at the State House, Abuja, while hosting a delegation of Muslims led by Vice President Namadi Sambo on a traditional Eid-el-Kabir homage.
The President reiterated that he was determined to hold the national dialogue despite the criticisms of opponents.
He also affirmed that the decisions arrived at during the talks would be forwarded to the National Assembly to enact into law.
According to the President, much of the discussions going on in the public domain lack direction, a situation that will be corrected by the national dialogue.
“Atimes when you listen to radio and read the newspapers, you sometimes see even our elders that are supposed to give us leadership quarrelling over nothing, sometimes even insulting themselves and even making provocative statements that will sometimes instigate one group against the other.
“We decided that we cannot continue that way, the talking must have a direction. What has been happening on the pages of the newspapers are discussions that have no direction.
“So, we want a country that will have a direction; so, the discussions must have a direction. The discussion must lead Nigeria to where we want to be, not a divided Nigeria, not a Nigeria that is sown on hate, not a Nigeria that will be based on acrimony, ethnicity and tribal sentiments in the way we conduct ourselves.
“That is a reason we set up that committee and we have given them the free will. Some people are still instigating others that the President is doing this, or the government does not have the capacity to do that.
“We are totally committed to do what is right. We don’t need to carry a cane to flog Nigerians to show that we are determined.
“And this national dialogue is even critical and is coming at the right time because the National Assembly is thinking about how they will amend the Constitution. So, the results of the discussion of course will be passed to the National Assembly.
“It is only left for all of us who are Nigerians to impress it on our representatives in the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly because our state and federal parliaments must work together to ensure these are properly enshrined in our Constitution so that as a nation we will hand over a country that is better than what we have met, to our children,” Jonathan said.
He also deplored the killing of innocent Nigerians in some parts of the country, saying they were neither caused by religion nor ethnicism.
Jonathan noted that Nigeria is a very young nation compared to some developed countries that may still be battling with terrorism.
“But in Nigeria we must work very hard, we must talk to ourselves the way that our children will not develop hate among themselves. And that is one of the key reasons that we decided to have a conversation as a nation,” he added.
The President further asserted: “We are totally committed to doing our best to ensure that we pass on to our young people that are coming up, a Nigeria that people will live in peace, a Nigeria that wherever you go, you call the next person your own brother or sister.
“A Nigeria that our young children who will become adults will say that I am proud to be a Nigerian. Not a Nigeria that people will kill them probably because they don’t recognise them.”
Daily Independent
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