Author: The Nation

The Chief Investment Officer of Ovid Capita Ekos Akpokabayen, has called on the federal government to intensify its effort in addressing the growing rate of inequalities, and unemployment, saying they have continued to fuel various forms of insecurity across the country.

He said this at a press conference to mark the presentation of The African Progress Initiative, the state of the nation and xenophobic attacks in South Africa, held in Lagos.

According to him, it is disturbing that we are not growing our economy and over 200 million Nigerians are increasingly fighting for fewer resources and that has given rise to growing tension in the country.

“Government must be deliberate in investing the nation’s resources in sectors that will drive the economy and enhance employment opportunities for teeming Nigeria youths,” he said.

He also noted that insecurity in the country is because we are competing for what we depend on, but are not producing. There is the danger of the problem escalating as companies keep closing shops.

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Akpokabayen, who is also the Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, South Africa Chapter, noted that the country’s Gross Domestic Product per Capital income is falling. We are not growing properly and our output is low: hence the fight for resources is on the rise; kidnapping and herdsmen everywhere and this is because we are not growing those resources that would aid good employment.

He challenged Nigeria leaders to be patriotic and serve the people with love as that would help move Nigeria forward.

He threw his weight behind the need for cultural exchanges programme between Nigerians and South Africa as part of the peace building process between the two countries.

According to him, Nigerians abroad face a lot of problems due to stereotype and lack of adequate government support. This has led to xenophobia ad violence against Nigerians, especially in South Africa and Malaysia.

He noted that South Africa has a turbulent past and wide gap of inequality in the world and at the same time Nigeria has a lot of cultural norm, and social norms that are quite different from South Africa and when these clash, it brings tension and hatred between the different nationals, thus leading to violence.

The Senator representing Ekiti Central, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, has said the prevailing high rate of poverty and unemployment in the country was responsible for the current security challenges afflicting Nigeria.

Bamidele said many people indulged in criminal activities to satisfy their immediate basic needs since they have no means of livelihood.

In a telephone chat with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Saturday, the former Lagos Commissioner disabused the mind of those having the erroneous impression that the seemingly lenient nature of the senators in the ongoing screening at the Senate, was a compromise of the exercise.

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He said the speedy nature of the exercise by the lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition People’s Democratic Party underscored unity and patriotism geared towards fast tracking development in the country.

Bamidele said it would amount to a delay in the constitution of the Federal Executive Committee members by President Muhammadu Buhari for the Senate to foot drag on the screening of the nominees that had already met the Constitutional requirements, which stipulated that whoever would qualify for ministerial position must have a minimum qualification to contest as a member of House of Representatives.

Three sociocultural and non-governmental groups based in the Southwest region of the country have called on President Muhammad Buhari to as a matter of urgency to give security challenges facing the various parts of the country the deserved attention before it degenerates into tribal and religious problems.

This is as the groups, Southwest Youth Movement, Yoruba Koya Initiative and Arewa Youth Movement also called on the president to give attention to the youths in the proposed cabinet following the nomination and ongoing screening of ministerial nominees at the National Assembly.

The groups made the call yesterday during a press conference organised by the Southwest Youth Movement (SYM), where they adopted and publicly declared a former Senate Leader, Prof Robert Boroffice, the leader of the groups in the region.

Speaking on the rationale for calling on Buhari to beef up the security, the Convener and President, SYM, Comrade Temitope Ogunlade, said the groups, as grassroots organisations, have begun consultations with people in the local communities of the region to educate them on the need to collaborate with security operatives to tackle the challenges from bottom-up.

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Ogunlade explained that the working relationship between the three groups is an indication to ensure that it did not allow the security challenges in the region to turn to a tribal or religious affair against any particular group.

He added that government at all levels, starting from the Presidency, must however give a clear direction as to how the issue is to be tackled headlong.

On the inclusion of youths in the cabinet, the SYM leader said the press conference is a soft reminder to the President to fulfil his campaign promise to the youths in terms of political inclusion and job/employment opportunities in his second term administration.

Justifying the choice of Senator Boroffice as a leader, Ogunlade, flanked by other zonal leaders of the groups at the press conference, said the Akokoland APC chieftain has proven over the years his commitment to the people of the state at large, beyond his senatorial district alone.

The meeting was attended by delegates from the six southwest states including, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Lagos and Ekiti.

Ogunlade said “Security is a collective responsibility and we all have to encourage the government with our prayers. The government needs to do more by ensuring balance and support for groups in the areas of security because it is obvious that the region is not safe anymore.

“Our groups believe in peace in ensuring that the country is secured. We are for peace and not violence. We have discovered that some people hide under the pretext of Fulani herdsmen to perpetrate evil and we are ready to nab them provided government gives the required support.

“We are already meeting traditional rulers and various ethnic groups in the region as part of our efforts at bringing lasting solutions to the issues of insecurity in the Southwest region. Consultation is ongoing with people at the grassroots as to how to nip it in the bud.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the North central region of the country was losing billions of naira annually due to lack of an economic development agenda despite its abundant natural and human resources.

National Vice Chairman of the party in the Northcentral zone, Alhaji Sulaiman Wambai, who spoke at a North-central zonal mini convention of the party, said states in the zone must evolve strategy towards regional integration and economic development.

He said the zone which comprised Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, Niger and Benue states should tap into its abundant mineral deposits to give the nation an alternative to oil revenues.

The APC chief also said that governors, lawmakers, ministers and party leaders from the zone must also come together through strategic engagement in policies and programmes that would benefit the people in particular and the country in general.

He stressed that global economic development showed clearly that the immediate future of Nigeria depended on the zone because of its abundant natural resources rather than oil in the Southsouth which the country currently relied on.

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He said, “While it is true that we rely mainly on oil from the Southsouth geo-political zone for national revenue, no one can deny the fact that the Northcentral remains the food basket of the nation. There are a lot our states can do and achieve together if we work closely to take advantage of our resources. We can gain a lot economically if we use our location to our collective advantage.

“Each of our state in the zones has better and bigger arable land than Kebbi State. It is a surprise that billions of Nigeria money is being deployed to Kebbi State through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrower Programme for agriculture and rice production.

“Our zone should naturally attract these billions with the land we have to grow rice. Our state government can take full economic advantage of this through collective bargaining. We lose huge revenue that could come from our location because we currently do not have a North Central agenda for economic development. We are due for an economic summit in the zone. We urge our governors to look into it.”

He described the Northcentral as the most politically stable geopolitical zone to the ruling party compared to other zones and deserved better placement in appointments.

“If we want to mitigate the full contribution of our zone to be equitable with our reward, we need to have a better and more improved synergy with our legislatures, governors, as well as the party; by doing so, we would take full advantage of the national policy by getting better ministries, agencies and parastatals,” he added.

While acknowledging Lafia, Nassarawa State capital, as the headquarters of the APC North Central zone, Wambai proposed that for administrative convenience, an office should be cited in Abuja for secretariat work and meetings.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, was formally rectified at the mini convention for the position for which he has been functioning since the exit of Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who defected to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).