The National Conference could held for three months

Ahead of the National conference, the Pro-National Conference (PRONACO) on Saturday urged ethnic nationalities in the country not to boycott the conference.

“A boycott at this stage of the proposed conference will not yield any positive result.

“The national conference for Nigeria is in the best interest of Nigerians and governments at all levels because interests and agitation will be resolved,’’ PRONACO’s spokesman, Wale Okunniyi, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

The conference is scheduled to kick off this month and is expected to last for three months.

President Goodluck Jonathan had on December 18, 2013 received the report of the Femi Okunrounmu-led presidential committee on the modalities for the convocation of the conference.

Mr. Okunniyi urged Nigerians to discountenance calls by any sectional or group leader suggesting a boycott of the conference.

“We are aware of some agitation over the modalities for the conference especially on the number of delegates.

“The proposed conference is both constitutional and political. There is need to engage in dialogue rather than fight,” he said.

Mr. Okunniyi urged the Federal Government to further fine-tune the modalities for the conference, adding that ethnic and other interest groups should also put their houses in order.

He added: “We must help the conference to succeed by being prepared to fully participate.”

Mr. Okunniyi, however, advised the Federal Government to have a rethink on the modalities for the national dialogue by ensuring more representations of ethnic groups.

The PRONACO spokesman also urged the government to set up a “credible secretariat’’ that would assist the people on guidelines and criteria for participation.

(NAN)