- …calls for national security summit
The Obi of Onitsha, Alfred Achebe, has called on President Bola Tinubu to convene what he describes as a non-partisan national economic and security summit to address the challenges in the country
He said the President has two daunting challenges before him to put smiles on the faces of the masses, namely economy and insecurity.
The Anambra monarch spoke on Friday at the Ime-obi arena in Onitsha, during the 23rd Ofala festival of the ancient kingdom.
The annual event was sponsored by the Nigeria Breweries PLC and the telecommunications giants, Globacom.
Achebe maintained that there is the urgent need for the government to focus on its constitutional responsibilities, while listening to all the major stakeholders in the country.
He said Mr President should focus on economic stability, insecurity, and the well-being of citizens.
He noted that many prominent Nigerians and organisations had raised concerns about the looming catastrophe in the country if issues were not properly and adequately tackled.
According to him, “the government should take all necessary steps to avert the impending crisis by convening a non-partisan national summit.
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“I stated that the previous twelve months were marked by uncertainties following the general election, further exacerbated by ongoing insecurity and the sudden removal of the fuel price subsidy.
“Unfortunately, the well-being of the polity has declined even more steeply in the last twelve months, leading to a ten-day national protest in August 2024, tagged #EndnaGovernance.
“The two areas of most concern are the Economy and security. Their combined effects include the spiraling rise in the cost of living, closures, loss of employment, and a general feeling of hopelessness and lack of trust in government.”
He noted that bad governance, driven by corruption and the ostentatious lifestyles of political leaders, is a major cause of the lack of trust in leadership.