BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

BENIN—Former governor of defunct Mid-West Region and Bendel State, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, has said that the proposed national dialogue being conveyed by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, was a sign that that the National Assembly has failed the country.

Represented by his first son, Mr. Samuel Ogbemudia (jnr) at a one-day National Peace and Security Summit in Benin, capital of Edo State, organised by Edo Youths United for Democracy, EYUD, with the theme: Peace and Security – The Twin  Oracle of Social Justice, he attributed the failure in governance to a situation where one person in position of authority exercises powers of knowing it all, adding  that “ you cannot have one man doing everything.

“There must be checks and balances. If we don’t have all the representatives at the central level, we will not be able to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people. That should not be so. There is need for independent judiciary and local government for development to get to the grassroots and to help prevent poverty, which can breed insecurity.

“Time has proved that those who control the nation’s resources have not used them for the benefit of the people. We have high poverty rate in this country. The only way forward is a national conference to address issues that the National Assembly had failed to address. The National Assembly has failed the country. The national conference is an indictment on the National Assembly.

“We must work on the soul and spirit of the youths by providing them with employment. The way we can stop Boko Haram and other security challenges is to create employment, and the only way we can create employment is to decentralise government. It is critical.

“We pray that the national dialogue is held, concluded and implemented with a view to strengthening democracy, because at the end of the day, if it is not implemented, there goes democracy.”
Former Head of State and National Chairman of Nigeria Prays, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, who chaired the summit, noted that true and genuine peace could only come from God.

Represented by Edo State Coordinator of Nigeria Prays, Rev. John Omonichue, Gowon urged youths of today not to allow politicians to use them to destroy the country and their future, adding that their lives were at stake.
He drew attention of participants to a call made by Secretary-General of the United Nations,  Ban Ki Moon, who urged member nations of the United Nations to include youths in peace and security issues.