,+GCFR,+FORMER+HEAD+OF+STATE.jpg)
OPENING REMARKS BY H.E GEN ABDULSALAMI ABUBAKAR (RTD), GCFR, FORMER HEAD OF STATE OF NIGERIA, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE ALL POLITICAL PARTIES SUMMIT, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, ABUJA. 12 JUNE, 2014.1.I am very pleased to be here this morning as the Chairman of this occasion – The All Political Parties Summit. I wish to most sincerely thank the organizers of this event i.e the National security Adviser (NSA) and the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs for inviting me here to be part of this important gathering where eminent Nigerians and Political leaders from different walks of life have converged to deeply reflect on issues of Inter Party relationship, good governance, democracy and to build a common platform needed for harmony and the actualization of our National goals and objectives.
2.As destiny had it, my Administration and I had the singular honour of playing a crucial role in the 1999 political transition in Nigeria in spite of the enormous challenges that faced us at that time. The situation in the country right now reminds me of the enormous challenges we faced in the late nineties when the political atmosphere was charged. Challenges then arose from the difficult political history that lingered from the aborted and truncated transition of the early 90’s. Internal forces that threatened the existence of the state also played a significant role to create that atmosphere of instability and insecurity.
