No Cause for Alarm

Gbenda Adefaye

The 7th All Nigerian Editors Conference held last week in Benin City with a call on government to address the rising insecurity in the country
By Walid Ogunseri, Benin City
The 7th All Nigerian Editors Conference of the Nigerian Guild of Edi-tor, NGE, with the theme “Deepening Our Democracy”. The role of the Editors was held at Best Western Hotel in Benin City, Edo State from September 21 to 24, 2011.
The NGE in a 10 point communiqué issued at the end of the conference signed by Gbenga Adefaye and Femi Adesina, President, NGE and Chairman Conference Committee respectively, said that insecurity is a threat to Nigeria’s democracy and general well-being of the country and urged the government to employ dialogue where necessary and deal decisively with any act of criminal breach of security. The body also advised that issues provoking ethnic and religious crisis should be addressed.
The NGE lamented the high cost of governance in Nigeria, and urged all tiers of government to work assiduously towards reducing it.
The communiqué further states that “all democratic institutions, organs and machinery should be strengthened by stakeholders to achieve sustainable democracy. The Editors noted that “There was an appreciable improvement in the conduct of the 2011 elections and called on Aminu the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to strive to achieve best practices in electoral process.
The communiqué, added that “the local government as third tier of government should remain but must be strengthened by expunging vexatious sections of the constitution that list them while the states should be given full powers to legislate on structure, composition and administration of council areas.
The NGE also commended the transformational programmes of Governor Adams Oshiomhole and urged the him to keep it up and thanked him for hosting the conference.
The keynote address was delivered by the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Attahiru Jega, while Oshiomhole, at the opening seession stressed the need to deepen democracy by ensuring that it delivers dividends to the masses.
The Former Governor of Cross Rivers State Donald Duke, spoke on “True Autonomy for the Local Government; the former Minister of the Federal Capital Gerritory Nasir El-Rufai addressed the editors on “Perspectives on the cost of Governance in Nigeria.
The president of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA)Joseph Daudu spoke on the “Danger signals to Nigeria’s Democracy; while Ambassador Dapo Fafowora took the paper on Geography, Power and Politics in Nigeria.
Other key participants at the conference included the speaker of the House of Representatives, Waziri Tanbuwal, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, the Representative of Sokoto State Governor and Commissioner of Information, Dahiru Maishanu, Governor Peter Obi was represented by his Commissioner of Economic planning, Stella Okunna, members of the Senate committee on Information led by Senator Enyinaya Abaribe and Veteran Journalists, Sam Amuka, Ray Ekpu and Segun Osoba.
With their spirits lifted, the Editors numbering over 300 were taken on a project inspection tour to Edo North Senatorial districts by Governor Oshiomhole on the last day of the conference.
Oshiomhole took the Editors round some newly executed roads project in towns and rural communities of Edo North riding in four comrade buses. The roads visited includes; Polytechnic road, Auchi; Iyamo – Iyora road; Ayuwa – Jattu road; Ayowierhi – Afuwa – Okpekpe road and Auchi- Jattu roads.
Most of the Editors appreciated his performance and standard of roads inspected and urged the governor to sustain the level of development in the state.
The conference came to an end with the conferment of the rank of fellows of the Guild on eleven veterans including (Ben Lawrence, Dipo Ogbede, Eddie Aderinokun, Tony Akiotu, Tony Awobiyi, Dayo Alao and Jonathan Isiaku. This was followed by the official induction of seven new members into the Guild of Editors Editor of The Source Igho Akeregha and other Editors were inducted including Thomas Imonikwe, Ibiyemi Samuel, Gbemisola Odujobi and Charles Akpan.