2018 Daily Trust Dialogue
The 2018 Daily Trust Dialogue, the 15th in the series, was held on Thursday, January 18, 2018. The event which took place at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Center in Abuja was chaired by former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola. The Special Guest of Honour President Muhammadu […]
The 2018 Daily Trust Dialogue, the 15th in the series, was held on Thursday, January 18, 2018. The event which took place at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Center in Abuja was chaired by former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola. The Special Guest of Honour President Muhammadu Buhari was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha. Other dignitaries that attended the Dialogue included former President of Botswana Festus Moghae, members of the diplomatic corps and many political chieftains.
The theme of the 2018 Daily Trust Dialogue was “Nigeria and the challenges of 2019”. Chairman of Media Trust Limited Malam Kabiru Yusuf said in his opening remarks that the choice of the theme was informed by the need to interrogate the challenges that the nation, political parties and all the institutions vested with organizing next year’s general elections would face. In his address read by the SGF, President Buhari vowed not to condone any action that could undermine the upcoming elections. He also urged all political parties and actors to play by the rules and eschew violence.
Chairman of the occasion Prince Bola Ajibola called for some changes in law and tradition to smoothen the path to 2019, including allowing Attorneys General to serve as election tribunal judges. Guest speaker Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Lagos State governor and APC National Leader who was represented by Mr. Wale Edun, urged his own party to “transform the nation by embarking on deep and impactful reforms, creating more jobs, providing social policy initiatives and building befitting infrastructure.” Tinubu argued that politics determines governance and governance defines the life we live. He said politics is a link in that vital process that spins either toward progress or toward the accumulation of problems and their dire consequences.
Tinubu stressed the need to reform the current fuel subsidy regime, which he said causes more problems than it seeks to cure. He said “bottlenecks of long fuel queues, erratic supply, resultant economic dislocations for consumers from lack of fuel and the corrupt practices of insider traders undermine the good intentions upon which the subsidy is based,” adding that subsidy does not benefit the average Nigerian. He advocated for the need to allow market forces to more directly determine price.
Another guest speaker, former Jigawa State governor Alhaji Sule Lamido, charged at the ruling APC. Lamido said after nearly three years in power at the federal level, APC was still behaving like an opposition party by blaming others for its incompetence. Lamido also told fellow speaker Tinubu that he was in the wrong political party. SGF Mustapha later responded to Lamido by saying his remark was an indication that President Buhari had already won the 2019 presidential election. Yet another guest speaker, Nollywood star and politician Kate Henshaw expressed concern over the alienation of Nigerian youth from partisan politics. She called on political parties to create the necessary political atmosphere that would guarantee meaningful participation of youths in politics.
Key visions from the Dialogue include the need for politicians to put Nigeria first and above personal interest. Nigerians were advised to learn in sacrifice from the founding fathers of the Nigerian nation who were not selfish but nationalists as politicians and public servants. A smooth path to 2019 elections definitely requires ending insecurity in all parts of the country including terrorist activities being perpetrated by Boko Haram, kidnappers and armed bandits. Incessant bloodshed between farmers and herdsmen must equally be resolved.
With 68 political parties, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must rise to the occasion by preparing early to tackle looming threats and critical challenges so that gaps are not created for fraudulent politicians to exploit. The 2019 elections present another opportunity for Nigeria to demonstrate its leadership role in Africa by getting it right. Indeed it was a dialogue to remember.