South East Civil Society Organizations Talks Tough Over National Conference

http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/10/02/mixed-reactions-greet-proposed-national-conference/

http://chatafrik.com/articles/nigerian-affairs/dissolving-the-nigerian-union-self-determination-or-sovereign-national-conference

COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE END OF A MEETING OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SOUTH EAST NIGERIA, HELD IN ENUGU ON FRIDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2014 ON THE FORTHCOMING NATIONAL CONFERENCE.

We leaders of Civil society Organizations in the South East Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria, met in Enugu on Friday 7th February, at Amalgamated Technical Workers House at 26 Ogui Road, deliberated extensively on issues bothering around the forthcoming National Conference and resolved as follows:

We commended the Federal Government for accepting to convoke the conference to give the people of Nigeria an opportunity to deliberate and contribute to issue bothering on their unified existence. We indicated our willingness to participate in the conference to pave a new way for the progress and development of Nigeria.

Consequently we agreed to submit a list of our nominees to the National Conference, to the office of the Secretary of the Federal Government immediately.

However we observed the following and called on the Federal Government to act upon them:

1. That the number of nominees allotted to the Federal and State governments were too high just as the space for delegate nomination to Civil Society Groups was too few. We therefore demand for a suitable adjustment of both.

2. We insist that Civil Society nominees to the conference who are to represent the South East Zone of Nigeria must be activists resident in and carrying out their activities within the geographical location of South East Nigeria. Any nomination of South East indigenes operating outside the zone would be faulty since such persons mostly lack knowledge of social-development issues in the zone. We therefore believe that only delegates domiciled in the zone are fully conversant with the day-to-day situation of the South East and are therefore most qualified to represent it.

3. We call on all Nigerians to begin to organize pre-conference deliberations at national, ethnic, state, local and organizational levels in order to articulate an agreed position of the Nigerian people.

Signed

Comrade Zulu Ofoelue

General Secretary, United Action for Democracy (UAD) & Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Enugu State.

Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi

Chairman, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law.

Dr. Jerry Chukwuokolo

Secretary South east Zone, Campaign for Democracy

Okonkwo (Ozo Ozummba)

Enugu State Coordinator, Global Right Development International.

Comrade Osmond Ugwu

President, International Solidarity for Peace and Human Right Initiative.

Comrade Ijeoma, Justice Uche

National Director, Society Watch

Egbonwachi O. Jacobs

Director of Partnership, JOCAD

Eze Eluchie

President, PADDI

Okoro Benedict

Executive Director, Fr John Odey Centre

Chike Umeosonwune

Secretary, Intersociety.

Thankgod Ofoelue

Media Director, International Solidarity for Peace and Human Right Initiative

Civil Society Organization in the South East Nigeria

C/O Civil Liberties Organization, South East Zonal Office,

22 Edinburgh Road, Enugu

Contact E-mail: [email protected]

08023383775

7 February 2014

The Secretary to the Government

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Abuja FCT

NOMINATION OF DELEGATES TO REPRESENT CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS IN SOUTH EAST ZONE OF NIGERIA IN THE 2014 NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Consequently we agreed to submit a list of our nominees to the National Conference, to the office of the Secretary of the Federal Government immediately.

Given that 24 slots were allotted to Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria, implying 4 delegates for each geo-political zone, we have nominated the following persons to represent Civil Society Organizations in the South east Zone:

1. Comrade Zulu Ofoelue- General Secretary, United Action for Democracy (UAD) & Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Enugu State. [B. Sc Economics, M. Phil (Edu)] - (Abia State) 08023383775

2. Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi- Chairman, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law; B.sc., Criminology and Security studies; An aluminus of the international leadership program of the united state dept., class of june 2013; Chairman, CLO Anambra State 2001 to 2007, Vice Chair CLO Southeast Zone and Board Chairman, international society for civil liberties and the rule of law since 2008. (Anambra State) 08180103912

3. Dr. Jerry Chukwuokolo- Secretary South east Zone, Campaign for Democracy. BA (Hon) MA, PhD (UNN). Formally Chairman, Campaign for Democracy, Enugu State; (Enugu State) 0808 467 0301

4. Eze Eluchie, Esq. President, PADDI Foudnation; LLB, Nigeria; Cert. (Health & Human Rights), Harvard. (Imo State) 08152677926

We also observe and advise as follows:

That the number of nominees allotted to the Federal and State governments were too high just as the space for delegate nomination to Civil Society Groups was too few. We therefore demand for a suitable adjustment of both.
We insist that Civil Society nominees to the conference who are to represent the South East Zone of Nigeria must be activists resident in and carrying out their activities within the geographical location of South East Nigeria. Any nomination of South East indigenes operating outside the zone would be faulty since such persons mostly lack knowledge of social-development issues in the zone. We therefore believe that only delegates domiciled in the zone are fully conversant with the day-to-day situation of the South East and are therefore most qualified to represent it.
We call on all Nigerians to begin to organize pre-conference deliberations at national, ethnic, state, local and organizational levels in order to articulate an agreed position of the Nigerian people.