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| Senator Femi Okurounmu |
The Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue will seek the extension of its tenure.
The committee, which was inaugurated on October 7, had six weeks to conclude its work.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Femi Okurounmu, in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Friday, said the committee had already written a letter to the Federal Government seeking extension of the deadline.
He, however, said that the group had not got the committee to present the letter.
“Well, we have written a request but we have not had time to present it. We have not formally presented the request,” Okurounmu said.
He was, however, not specific on the additional days the committee would demand.
Okurounmu said the committee had concluded consultations in all the six geo-political zones of the country.
According to him, what is left for the committee is to compile its report based on the recommendations submitted to it.
He also said a report that the committee received 400 memoranda during his consultation in Bauchi was exaggerated.
The chairman stated that the committee was still receiving memoranda from groups and individuals.
He, however, said that on Monday, it would not receive additional memoranda.
Okurounmu said, “It will not take us much time to compile our report. You know the way we work. We work round the clock. By the time we assemble on Monday, we are going to work non -stop.
“Within the shortest possible time, we are going to compile our report and submit it.”
He did not give the number of memoranda the committee had received
The committee chairman said, “Up till the time I am talking to you, we are still receiving memoranda by electronic mail. But by Monday, there is no point sending us further memoranda.”
The President, had in his last Independent Day address, said he would set up the national dialogue committee.
The tenure of the group was initially fixed for four weeks.
But during its inauguration, Jonathan extended its tenure to six weeks.
He had explained that the extension became necessary in order to give Muslims who would be on Hajj the opportunity of returning to the country and contributing to the committee’s work.
The President Jonathan said he decided to change his initial anti-national conference posture because of his realisation that “as challenges emerge, leaders must respond with the best available strategies to ensure that the ship of state remains undeterred in its voyage.”
He added that the initial skepticism he exhibited on the need for another conference or dialogue was borne out of the nomenclature of such a conference, taking into cognizance existing democratic structures that were products of the will of the people.
Describing it as a child of necessity, he said with the inauguration of the committee, Nigeria was taking historic and concrete steps to further strengthen its citizens’ understanding, expand the frontiers of their inclusiveness and deepen their bond as one people under God.
He further described the steps as sincere and fundamental undertakings aimed at examining and resolving longstanding impediments to the nation’s cohesion and development.
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