• 2016 commemorative celebrations hold March 3
• El-Rufai, Ezekwesili, Okurounmu to attend symposium
• El-Rufai, Ezekwesili, Okurounmu to attend symposium
FORMER Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to abandon the reports and recommendations of the 2014 National Conference.
The second daughter of former Premier of the defunct Western Region and founder of the Action Group (AG), Chief Obafemi Awolowo, said it would be a great pity if the reports and the recommendations of the conference, organized by former President Goodluck Jonathan, were abandoned.
Speaking during a press briefing on the 2016 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial and Birthday Commemorative Celebrations scheduled to hold on March 3 at Efunyela Hall, Awolowo residence, Ikenne, Ogun State, the Executive Director of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, organizers of the symposium, said the current federalism being practiced is far from the type bequeathed to us by the founding fathers of this nation.
“It would not serve the country right if the reports and the recommendations are abandoned, because there are lots of recommendations in there that would help us to move forward in this country.
“First is the debate on federalism, which is the foremost issue and challenge confronting this nation. I am not sure that the current system we practice was the type of federalism that was bequeathed to us by our founding fathers. I don’t think it is helpful where the states are depending on the federal allocation to function,” she said.
Citing example of the Nigerian First Republic where each of the regions had its autonomy, Awolowo-Dosunmu said: “The idea of sharing or collecting money from Abuja has forced many of the states to go to sleep without thinking of what to do for development.”
She said the conference reports and recommendations were put together by credible Nigerians and must therefore not be abandoned.
Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, would chair the 2016 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial and Birthday Commemorative symposium while the keynote address would be delivered by erstwhile Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University, Washington, Prof. Segun Gbadegesin.
The panelists are: former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Professors Williams Alade Fawole, Ayo Olokun and Dr. Femi Okunrounmu, while the moderator will be Professor Ladipo Adamolekun. The theme of the symposium is “Awo, Then and Now: Politics, Economics and Education.”
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