The Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has written off the National Conference promised this morning by President Goodluck Jonathan in his nationwide broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 53 years of independence. President Jonathan did not only bow to pressure to convoke the conference but also announced the establishment of a committee chaired by Senator Femi Okuroumu to advise on the modalities of the dialogue.

However, reacting through its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said:

“National Conference as contemplated by President Jona is cosmetic and a huge contraption that would be choreographed to gulp huge public fund in meaningless talk shop that wouldn’t be far reaching enough as to determine once and for all the future of Nigeria’s diverse nationalities in view of the fact that the hurriedly packaged amalgamation in 1914 by the British colonial over-lords is no longer sustainable and was indeed a calculated mischief to perpetuate inequities and injustices...It is an attempt to assuage the groundswell of agitation for the convocation of a SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE
“What is the essence of a national conference if no realistic constitutional changes would take place but only serve to bring the same characters that ruined Nigeria to a round table for time wasting gambit of dialogue and/or monologue? Seriously, this so-called national conference is a huge joke and rather than pour money into this irrelevant talk shop the deprived public universities should get that fund in addition to what has been budgeted for the educational sector...Except and unless there is a more cogent and verifiable reason for it which for now is yet to emerge.”

•Photo shows HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko.