Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party
\n(PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has called on states of southern Nigeria to
\nunite behind President Goodluck Jonathan and support him in the governance
\nof the nation.
\nAnenih made the call in an address he delivered yesterday at the Southern
\nLeaders Summit held at the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort in Calabar.
\nHe said the President needed their support to face the challenges created
\nby Boko Haram, the global economic recession and unrest, and to keep the
\ncountry united.
\nDeclaring that \u201cthe unity of this country is not negotiable,\u201d Anenih said,
\n\u201cWe must acknowledge the uncommon leadership the President has exhibited
\nin the face of these challenges.\u201d
\nThe PDP BoT Chairman also said, \u201cUnfortunately, some Nigerians do not see
\nany good in the present administration,\u201d adding \u201cthis perception should be
\nkilled.\u201d
\nAnenih expressed happiness at the summit, which was convened to articulate
\nSouthern Nigeria\u2019s positions at the forthcoming National Conference, that
\nthe idea of a national conference had been widely accepted.
\nHe also said that, \u201cThe response to the National Conference Committee was
\nquite remarkable; so also is the widespread pre-National Conference
\nDialogue that is going on among various groups across the country.
\n\u201cI commend President Goodluck Jonathan for his sagacity in giving
\nNigerians this golden platform to examine areas of concern about the
\nNigerian federation and find common solutions to those problems that have
\nconstituted a hindrance to our evolutionary journey to nationhood.
\n\u201cI am convinced that the National Conference will strengthen the bonds of
\nunity, the fabric of our federalism and the pillars of our nationhood.
\nThe unity of this great nation is not negotiable.\u201d
\nHe added, \u201cIt is gratifying that different groups\u2014nationalities, civil
\nsociety organisations, faith-based organisations and academic
\ninstitutions\u2014are crystallising their positions and preparing
\nwell-thought-out proposals for the National Conference.
\n\u201cThis Southern Leaders Summit is, surely, one of the pre-Conference Fora
\nwhich, hopefully, will identify areas of common interest to the States of
\nthe South.\u201d
\nAnenih, who used the occasion to lament the inability of the States of the
\nSouth to operate on a common platform or to speak consistently with one
\nvoice, said the summit would provide a platform to identify common
\nconcerns.
\nAccording to him, \u201cthere is no doubt that there are many concerns which
\nthey share and need to identify at a platform such as this. Our Northern
\ncounterparts have been known to work together as a united front. We in the
\nSouth must also forge unity and cooperation among ourselves.\u201d
\nHe noted that the participants at the Summit are men and women who have
\ndistinguished themselves in their various callings and in the services of
\nthis country. Moreover, he expressed confidence that the ideas and
\nproposals which would emanate from the deliberations would not only be
\nprofound but also capable of lifting the country and helping it towards
\nattaining its manifest destiny.
\nHis admonition: \u201cWe must see this National Conference, not as a platform
\nto shout at one another but rather as another opportunity to make our
\ncountry a better place to live in.
\n\u201cWe must concern ourselves with proffering ideas that will bring
\nimprovements to every aspect and sector of our national life. Our aim must
\nbe to facilitate the emergence of a new Nigeria which, in the days, months
\nand years after the National Conference, will be far better and more
\nunited than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has called on states of southern Nigeria to unite behind President Goodluck Jonathan and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n