COL. NYIAM REPLACED ON CONFAB C'TTEE

Colonel Tony Nyiam has formally resigned his membership of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue and given further details of how Governor Adams Oshiomhole provoked him into the controversial shouting match in Benin last week.In his resignation letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, Nyiam said he decided to withdraw his membership of the committee in order not to be an obstacle to the long desire of many Nigerians for a national conference.President Jonathan, yesterday, promptly replaced Nyiam with Chief Solomon Asemota (SAN), in the committee yesterday.It would be recalled that other members of the Committee, led by Senator Femi Okorounmu, had asked  Nyiam  to withdraw his membership  after he engaged Governor Oshiomhole in a verbal war following the governor’s criticism of  the planned dialogue.Oshiomhole, in line with the position of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, expressed dissatisfaction with plans to hold the confab. However,  Nyiam, a retired army officer, who was a prominent participant in the attempt to overthrow former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, in 1990, had challenged the governor on the way he was expressing views on the  issue.The exchange between both men led to a disruption of the proceedings of the committee during their sitting in Benin, the Edo State capital.Nyiam’s conduct attracted widespread condemnation thereby casting doubts on the integrity of those President Jonathan selected for the assignment.Other members of the panel, therefore, advised Col. Nyiam to resign.