Soyinka, Nwabuaze, Clark, Umar, Ezekwesili, others to address Grand National Summit in Abuja

PROMINENT Nigerians including Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; Legal Icon, Professor Ben Nwabueze; elder statesman, Mallam Adamu Ciroma; and former military Governor of Kaduna state, Col. Dangiwa Umar are among top personalities listed to address political summit tagged “the Grand National Summit” fixed for Abuja this week.

A statement by organisers of the Grand National Summit 2018 signed by the spokesperson, Mallam Naseer Kura, listed other Nigerians including Economist, Prof Pat Utomi; former Governor Donald Duke; and Air Commodore Dan Suleiman among the speakers at the summit holding in Abuja on Wednesday.

The statement read: “Nigeria Intervention Movement, NiM, a Rainbow Coalition of new breed political forces and movements; mobilising towards paradigm shift within Nigeria’s political configuration, wishes to announce that its grand national summit scheduled to hold on Wednesday in Abuja received a major boost at the weekend from Eminent national leaders and front-line political activists invited to intervene in the political future of Nigeria at the summit.

It said that the historic event has already received the blessing of Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka; eminent Jurist, Prof Ben Nwabueze SAN; Air Commodore Dan Suleiman (rtd); Colonel Abubarkar Umar Dangiwa; Mr Donald Duke; Dr Oby Ezekwesili; Senator Shehu Sanni; Dr Olu Agunloye.

It also listed other speakers at the event to include Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Gen TY Danjuma, Dr Paul Unongo, Chief Edwin Clark, among other leaders.

The organisers said that the summit is designed to bring together both old and new generation of political leaders in Nigeria, for the first time, “towards finding an appropriate political roadmap for Nigeria’s troubled democracy, while facilitating a grand political coalition of fresh breed political leaders ahead of the 2019 elections.”

The statement further read: “For the avoidance of doubt, these elders and leaders, given their experience in the political affairs of the country as well as their past roles in the life of the country, at one point or the other, have been invited to address Nigeria’s past, in order to provide a veritable political compass for emerging fresh breed leaders in navigating the future for the country.

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“The grand summit, which promises to be a very fertile ground to breed national understanding and reconciliation is also conceived as a serious intervention to reset the future of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy which presently skewed against the majority of Nigerians, as many young emerging political leaders will be provided with the rare opportunity to interact and share their aspirations with the invited political veterans at the national confab.

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“Some of the burning issues rocking the political fabric of the country to be agreed and sorted, once and for all, at the summit, holding at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja is; inclusive democratic review of the Nigerian Constitution, referendum, equitable political structure for Nigeria, popular democratic system of government suitable for the country, sovereignty of the Nigerian people, people’s right to self-determination, 2019 general elections and the options for masses, among others.

“The event which will be co-chaired by Dr Olisa Agbakoba SAN and Dr Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa is expected to come out with Communique on the future of Nigeria with the theme: “birthing an equitable and prosperous democratic Nigeria” at a special interactive session with media editors on Thursday. Some of the young aspiring leaders who are invited to the Summit include, political aspirants like, Mr Fela Durotoye, Mr Kingsley Moghalu, Dr Chris Nwaokobia, Mallam Adamu Dauda, Mr Jaye Gaskia, Mr Omoyele Sowore, Ms Toyosi Akerele, Mr Abayomi Mighty, among other 35 young leaders aspiring to lead the country in various capacities.”