Nigeria Content Online

The Nigeria Labour
Congress yesterday added to the criticism against the Federal
Government’s proposed golden jubilee conference in the United Kingdom,
describing it as a“ national disgrace.”

The NLC president,
Abdulwahed Omar, said, in a press statement yesterday, the move
represents a higher degree of “irrationality” than the N10 billion
allegedly set aside for the Independence celebrations.

“While we had
earlier condemned the over N10 billion budget for the celebration, we
are convinced that the London Summit planned by the federal government
is more irrational and totally unnecessary given the huge state
resources that would be used to host it,” the statement said.

“Perhaps other than
to display our linkage to our colonial heritage, we believe that it is
highly illogical for our leaders to take a ceremony of our golden
jubilee independence anniversary to the capital of the country that
forcefully imposed itself on us for well over a century of exploitation
and oppression.”

The two-day
conference, said to be part of Nigeria’s 50th anniversary celebration,
is to be held in London on June 28 and June 29, 2010.

Unconfirmed reports
say Mr. Jonathan is to attend the event with 18 governors and 12
ministers. The ruling People’s Democratic Party new chairman,
Okweselize Nwodo, is also expected to be at the event.

Opposition parties reacted angrily to the news on Sunday, saying it is another waste of public funds.

A senior official
in Mr. Jonathan’s government had denied media reports that the
administration is providing the N10 billion budget for the events
expected to climax on October 1, 2010.

The Minister of
Information, Dora Akunyili, denied that Mr. Jonathan raised the budget
of the celebration from N62 million earmarked by the late President
Umaru Yar’Adua, to N10 billion. She explained that the amount
originated from a committee set up by Mr. Yar’Adua himself.