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| Senator Rowland Owie |
Owie who also condemned the call for a Sovereign National Conference, argued that it was not a weakness on the part of President Goodluck Jonathan to dialogue with members of the Boko Haram sect when they “genuinely show up” and warned the President to be wary of those who may want to mislead him in jettisoning the idea of dialogue.
He said: “It is not a sign of weakness on the part of Mr President when he said his government will be willing to dialogue with the leadership of Boko Haram. Yes why should people be against dialogue. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ says that the cure for hatred is love. Did we not dialogue with the militants in the Niger Delta? Are the OPC members not peaceful now? Are the MASSOB members not becoming civil now?”
“Palace jesters should not deceive the President. Arm attacks can’t solve Boko Haram insurgent but love can. So I feel the President should dialogue with them for the interest of the nation because we cannot witness meaningful development without people investing in our economy. And people can only invest in a peaceful nation where security is guaranteed” he said.
On the call by several leaders for a Sovereign National Conference, Owie asserted that “ I don’t think it is necessary now because the National Assembly is there to handle all amendments in the constitution in creating true federalism. The only handicap is that some of the State Assemblies have become tools in the Government Houses of some states.
“For instance, in the last legislative session when the National Assembly wanted to put financial autonomy for State Assemblies in the constitution, some state Assemblies voted against granting financial autonomy for themselves. You see the slave mentality of people just because of greed” he stated.
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