Why This National Dialogue Will Fail, By Gani.

(From Vanguard (Nigeria) - AAGM)

Byline: Chioma Anyagafu

CHIEF Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) Lagos lawyer and human rights has been a die-hard advocate for the convocation of a sovereign national conference, SNC.

Since the Federal Government proposed a national dialogue and set up a committee to that effect, there have been varied reactions from Nigerians including the recent Pro-National Conference (PRONACO) summit. Fawehinmi, in this chat, speaks on the issue as well as the re-emergence of G-34, President Olusegun Obasanjo's rumoured third term bid, and the plan by the CNPP to present a joint presidential candidate for the 2007 elections. Here are excerpts:

The PRONACO group met last week in Lagos and issued a communique against Obasanjo's national dialogue committee. Is that not an opposition to an opportunity for Nigerians to talk?

What President Obasanjo is trying to do is not a serious attempt to solve the problems of Nigeria and he knows that his proposed national dialogue will not achieve any result because already the members of the so-called confab are government appointees either from federal or state governments. …