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LCCI says insecurity weakening investor confidence in Nigeria

Vincent Ufuoma
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LCCI says insecurity weakening investor confidence in Nigeria

THE Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) says the state of insecurity in  Nigeria weakens investor confidence, noting that its effects on Africa’s most populous nation remain profound and multi-dimensional .

In a statement made available to The ICIR on Wednesday, LCCI President Toki Mabogunje expressed sadness that kidnapping, herder-farmer conflicts, ethno-religious violence, vandalism, armed robbery, banditry, arson, and insurgency had become routine occurrences in Nigeria.

“The crisis has crippled many private and public investments across the nation. Several businesses and investors in affected areas are currently counting their losses. Many households have lost their means of livelihoods, while some have been displaced,” it said.

“Many farmlands across the country (although more pronounced in the North and Middle Belt) have been destroyed in the process, and this has continued to disrupt agricultural activities in these areas. These have severe implications for food production and food distribution from farms to markets.”

She noted that insecurity was a major reason for the persistent increase in food inflation in recent years, stressing that worsening security situation would further trigger inflationary pressure on food prices, thus exacerbating poverty conditions in the country.

READ ALSO: Insecurity: Like Canada, US warns citizens against travelling to Nigeria

“This alarming state of insecurity in the country has hampered the movement of goods, services, and persons across the country, with implications for agriculture, agro-allied services, trade and commerce, especially in affected areas. Transportation & logistics sector, hospitality and allied investments, education, construction, and real estate have been severely impacted by the crisis.”

While lamenting that the crises projected the Nigerian economy as an unsafe investment destination, Mabogunje was equally worried that the government’s efforts in encouraging private investment inflows into the economy at a time the economy was in dire need of massive investments to bolster growth recovery, create jobs and alleviate poverty could be thwarted if nothing was done to address the situation.

She stressed that the crises would further weaken the already investors’ confidence which had been hard hit before the outbreak of COVID-19. She noted that many investors would see the Nigerian market as a risky market despite oil price recovery, vaccination dissemination and growth recovery.

“The worsening security situation also impacts the fiscal position of the government by making policymakers incur unplanned [unbudgeted] security-related expenditure at the detriment of infrastructural development expenditure. This could worsen 2021 actual fiscal deficit levels amid fragility in revenue growth from oil and non-oil sources.”

In order to stem the trend and boost investor confidence, the LCCI called for the decentralisation of the security ecosystem which would help to stem the rising tide and enable other levels of government to take key security-related decisions and initiatives within their domains.

She enjoined the executive arm of government to liaise with the legislative arm to take security out of the Exclusive List and include it in the Concurrent List of the Nigerian Constitution.

Also, sub nationals “need to play more active roles in the restoration of peace in the country through the creation of security machinery and architecture that would be controlled by them, subject of course to certain guidelines, especially regarding the rules of engagement,” she explained.

“There is a need to ensure a concrete and sustainable means of reducing the youth unemployment rate through youth employment schemes and programmes. There is a strong correlation between unemployment and criminality.”

Nigeria’s general election to commence on February 18, 2023 -INEC

Lukman ABOLADE
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Nigeria’s general election to commence on February 18, 2023 -INEC

NIGERIA’S general election will begin on Saturday, February 18, 2023, according to  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC Chief Press Secretary Rotimi Oyekanmi confirmed this to The ICIR in a telephone conversation. He said Chairman of the commission Mahmood Yakubu disclosed it on Wednesday during a one-day public hearing on the National Electoral Offences Commission (Establishment) Bill 2021, organised by the Senate Committee on INEC.

Yakubu said the 2023 general elections were exactly one year, nine months, two weeks and six days or 660 days from April 28, 2021.

“By the principle established by the Commission, the 2023 General Election will hold on Saturday 18th February 2023, which is exactly one year, nine months, two weeks and six days or 660 days from today,” Yakubu said.

He noted that the commission hoped to release the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election immediately after the Anambra governorship election scheduled to hold on November 6, 2021.

However, he said that to release the schedule and timetable, the INEC needed to be clear and certain about the electoral framework that would govern the conduct of the elections, stating that one of the most challenging duties of the INEC had been the prosecution of electoral offenders in the country.

He further stated that out of the 125 cases of electoral offences filed across the courts of law in the country in the 2015 general elections, only 60 convictions had been secured so far.

“We look forward to the day when highly placed sponsors of thuggery, including party chieftains and candidates that seek to benefit from violations of the law, are apprehended,” Yakubu stated.

There is a provision for the establishment of the Electoral Offences Commission Bill before the National Assembly and the Electoral Act (2010) Amendment Bill (2020), although they have not been passed. The Senate has said it is committed to the passage of the Electoral Act (2010) Amendment Bill (2020).

Nigerian govt deliberately delaying Electoral Bill to manipulate 2023 election – Wike

Lukman ABOLADE
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Nigerian govt deliberately delaying Electoral Bill to manipulate 2023 election – Wike

GOVERNOR of Rivers State Nyesom Wike has accused the Nigerian government of deliberately delaying the passage and signing into law of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill in order to manipulate the 2023 general elections.

Wike said this via a series of tweets on his official Twitter handle @GovWike on Wednesday, stating that the passage of the bill would be a ‘giant leap forward for the country.’

According to Wike, the Electoral Bill would ensure a free, fair and credible election in Nigeria, saying that the “Nigerian government is sabotaging its efforts with ‘tricks and delays.'”

“Amending the Electoral Act would be a giant leap forward for the country as it would lead to free, fair and credible elections. Unfortunately, we are again seeing tricks and delays because this government doesn’t want it amended so they can manipulate the 2023 elections,” Wike wrote in his tweet.

The governor, who has been an ardent critic of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, also took a jibe at the ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that Nigerians had lost confidence in the party.

Wike further said that no reasonable Nigerian would want the APC voted again in the upcoming general elections in 2023.

Before 2015, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which Wike belongs to, had ruled Nigeria for 16 years.

Although Nigeria’s 9th National Assembly has said it is committed to the passage of the Electoral Bill, President Buhari has rejected it in the previous assembly.

In 2018, the Electoral Bill was passed by the Bukola Saraki led Senate, but President Buhari rejected it, citing error in the bill.

The rejection in 2018 was the fourth time that Buhari dismissed the bill. According to the Nigerian law, after the passage of a bill, the president must consent to it before it becomes a law. However, the president’s position can be challenged by the National Assembly.

According to Section 58 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),  the National Assembly can veto the position of the president if it so wishes.

“Where the President withholds his assent, and the bill is again passed by each House by the two-thirds majority, the bill shall become law and the assent of the President shall not be required,” the 1999 Constitution (as amended) reads.

The present National Assembly is yet to leverage the constitutional provision on any matter.

Sani concerned with Buhari’s call for relocation of US military base to Africa

Vincent Ufuoma
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Sani concerned with Buhari’s call for relocation of US military base to Africa

FORMER Senator representing Kaduna Central Shehu Sani has faulted the call by President Muhammadu Buhari for the United States to relocate its Africa Command (AFRICOM) to Africa.

The ICIR had reported how Buhari made the call during a virtual meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday in Abuja.

He also admonished the international community to support Nigeria and the sub-region in tackling growing security challenges to avoid spillovers.

He said AFRICOM, partnering with countries to counter transnational threats, should be relocated to Africa to strengthen ongoing efforts to check insecurity, with likely effect on other nations.

Reacting in a series of tweets, Sani worried that the call was an open invitation for recolonisation of Africa by other world powers who might want to follow suit immediately after the US moved in.

READ ALSO: Mbaka makes U-turn, calls for Buhari’s impeachment

“The President’s call for World powers military HQ on African soil is an open invitation for recolonisation of Africa. It’s easier to tell and get them to come and when they come, it’s impossible to tell and get them to go out,” he tweeted.

“Once the US relocates their HQ to Africa, Russia, China, Iran, Saudia, Israel, and co would follow suit with establishing their Commands HQs, and then Africa will be militarily balkanized; then we either become like Korea or like Syria.”

He added that African countries with over 60-years of independence should be able to work together to secure the continent, while honourably seeking foreign assistance in tackling insecurity.

“Over six decades since Independence, African countries should purposefully work together to confront & address their security challenges, while honourably seeking foreign technical assistance. The call for the US to relocate its @USAfricaCommand HQ to Africa is unconscionable.”

AFRICOM is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany.

It is responsible for US military operations, including fighting regional conflicts and maintaining military relations with 53 African nations. Its area of responsibility covers all of Africa except Egypt, which is within the area of responsibility of the United States Central Command.

State of emergency could lead to military takeover – Nwoye

Ijeoma OPARA
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State of emergency could lead to military takeover – Nwoye

CHAIRMAN of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State Ben Nwoye has said that the declaration of a state of emergency is not a viable option for Nigeria, saying that this may lead to the emergence of military rule in the country.

Nwoye said this on Wednesday when he featured on the Channels TV programme, Sunrise Daily, while discussing the call by the House of Representatives to declare an immediate state of emergency on insecurity in Nigeria.

Nwoye said a state of emergency would lead to an undemocratic process, describing insecurity as a national challenge that should be approached by reassuring Nigerians that more could be done to protect lives and property.

Admitting that insecurity was rife across Nigeria, he stated that the Police and security agents around the country were doing their best to curb the situation.

He also stated that the democratic institution might collapse and certain inalienable rights would be lost following the declaration of a state of emergency.

READ ALSO: Reps to Buhari: Declare state of emergency on security

According to Nwoye, elected individuals might be made to relinquish their positions in military rule.

He maintained that the call for a state of emergency was not well thought-out by the members of the House of Representatives, noting that a state of emergency would negatively affect all democratic institutions, including the House of Representatives.

Proposing solutions to the problem, Nwoye suggested that a level of calm be maintained by the people and a continuous recruitment of personnel into the security sector of the country be conducted.

Also featuring on the show, a member of the House of Representatives Obinna Chidoka shared a contrary opinion, saying that a state of emergency on security had become necessary so as to review all the security agents in the country and to restore peace.

Chidoka said the democratic process had already been violated and rights lost, given the security situation in the country.

He bemoaned the increasing rate of crime and criminality, and called for the president’s resignation if he was not capable of handling the situation of the country.

Nigeria has been burdened by security challenges ranging from Islamic extremism and terrorism, to banditry, secessionist movements and general internal strife.

Insecurity across the nation has required that solution be sought, but the security situation in the country has continued to deteriorate. Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and security agencies seem helpless to confront the situation.

Nobel Laurette Wole Soyinka has asked Buhari to seek external help to save the country from collapse.

Everyone will suffer if Nigeria should go to war – Osinbajo

Vincent Ufuoma
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0
Everyone will suffer if Nigeria should go to war – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says everyone will suffer if Nigeria should go to another civil war.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Osinbajo said this at an interactive forum of All Progressives Congress’ Anambra governorship aspirants organised by the state chapter of APC Patriots in Abuja.

“The thing about the kind of conflict in this part of the world, developing countries, is that it is usually a war without end.

“Everyone who thinks he has some monies stored up somewhere will eventually run out of money.

“Everyone who thinks he can go and hide somewhere won’t even find a place to hide. In the end, everyone will suffer.

“Even if you don’t suffer, parents, children, young and old people, and relations will suffer. We cannot afford another civil war in this country, we can`t afford it,” he said.

Osinbajo said the political elite must rise up to the challenge by speaking the truth and taking action to address the situation in the country.

READ ALSO: 2019 prophecy by Tunde Bakare that Buhari will stabilise Nigeria stirs anger on social media

“I pray that our country will never know conflict, but I know that every conflict is as a result of elite failure to speak up the truth and tell the truth to their communities.

“At the end of the day, it is the political elite that determines what happens in every society, keeping quiet could lead to a more dangerous situation,” he said.

The Vice President said that the elite could make a great difference just by the words they spoke.

“If we don’t speak up against disunity, if we keep quiet and remain under the radar, the enemies of peace and those who want to promote disunity will have their ways.

“And when this happens, we will find ourselves running helter-skelter,’’ Osinbajo said.

He, therefore, urged the political elite in the country to always speak up and stand for the interest of the country and the general public.

Osinbajo assured the APC aspirants that the leadership of the party would ensure a level-playing field for them at the primary election slated for June to ensure that the best aspirant emerged as the candidate.

He, however, charged them to work in unity and commitment to the party.

“No one politician can win an election all by himself. I also want to advise you against the winner-takes-all syndrome,” he said.

Northern groups seek UN’s intervention to facilitate Biafra actualisation

Vincent Ufuoma
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Northern groups seek UN’s intervention to facilitate Biafra actualisation

A Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has sought the intervention of the United Nations in facilitating the final actualisation of the Biafran dream by Igbos.

According to PUNCH, this was stated in a communiqué issued by CNG spokesperson Abdul-Azeez Suleiman after an emergency meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

“The CNG hereby resolves to call on our friends and the international community,  the UK especially, to understand that our bilateral friendship is guided by the principles of sovereignty, promotion of peace and the standards that guide legitimate interference,” parts of the communique had read.

“Hence, their intervention, exclamations and actions should not be drawn to discountenance the effort of the Nigerian state to protect citizens from violence and terror.

“We finally wish to renew our request for the global community’s intervention in persuading Nigerian authorities and the United Nations to facilitate the final actualization of the Biafran dream by the Igbo,” CNG said.

“The world should keep in mind that by far, a destabilised Nigeria will certainly threaten the peace and security of the entire sub-Saharan Africa.”

It noted that unchallenged violence perpetrated on northers by those drumming for succession in the southern parts of the country was a clear indication that there was a vacuum of leadership in the country.

“In the South, gangs of armed IPOB militia, violent secessionists and an assortment of militant groups appear to sense a huge vacuum in the capacity and political will by the Federal Government to challenge them, which they exploit with disastrous consequences on the nation’s security assets and specifically on northern communities and individuals living as minorities in the South while the presidency wallows in deflecting the issue.”

READ ALSO:

It blamed the problems on IPOB, saying it “is now taking a more ominous and repulsive form and context with open declaration of violence and anarchy against other parts of Nigeria and the Nigerian State.”

The GNG lamented the level of insecurity in the North, saying that the region had never experienced the present level of exposure to criminals and bandits under the regime of Buhari.

While describing as empty and of no effect ‘threats and promises’ to tackle insecurity by President Buhari, the CNG said that “between December 2020 and April 2021, over 970 students were abducted from their schools in the Northern part of Nigeria with a substantial number still in captivity and some violently executed.”

2019 prophecy by Tunde Bakare that Buhari will stabilise Nigeria stirs anger on social media

Vincent Ufuoma
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0
2019 prophecy by Tunde Bakare that Buhari will stabilise Nigeria stirs anger on social media

A PROPHECY by the Senior Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church Tunde Bakare that President Muhammadu Buhari would be the one to stabilise Nigeria has generated a lot of controversies and mixed reactions on Twitter.

While revealing the reason why he supported the candidature of President Buhari during the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections in a sermon he preached in April 2019, the clergyman claimed that God showed him that Buhari has a major role to play in stabilising Nigeria.

Bakare also recalled his role in the coalition of political parties that formed the All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2015.

“After the controversial and divisive 2011 elections, as Nigeria drifted along with sectional undercurrents and the nation sought a unifying force, some of us prevailed on General Muhammadu Buhari not to quit the stage but to take back his words and form a coalition of the best of the North and the best of the South to salvage our nation.

“I must admit that I played a critical role in that mission. God had shown me in a vision that GMB still had a role to play in stabilising Nigeria,” he said.

Apart from this prophesy, which he claimed most times to be from God, Bakare has been actively involved in the political sojourn of President Buhari. He was the running mate to Buhari during Buhari’s 3rd attempt at the presidency under the Congress for Progressive Change in the 2011 presidential elections, where they were defeated by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

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This was after he claimed in an interview with newsmen on October 2, 2006, where he said, “Let me tell you the truth by the spirit of God, neither OBJ, Atiku, IBB and this tall one, Buhari, are part of the new. They are part of the old that is decaying. That old one is passing away. The new is emerging, and these ones are not part of that new.”

Nigerians, who took to their various accounts to express their dissatisfaction with the rising case of insecurity across the country on Wednesday, wondered if the clergyman had truly heard from God.

Some were also angry because they believed that both Tunde Bakare and the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry  Enugu Nigeria (AMEN) Ejike Mbaka influenced their decisions and perceptions about the elections.

Mbaka had expressed support for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.

In the 2015 message entitled, ‘From good luck to bad luck,’ Mbaka had faulted the performance of former President Goodluck Jonathan, predicting that Buhari would win the presidential poll. He re-endorsed him to his congregation prior to the 2019 general elections.

The ICIR was able to collate some of the reactions to 2019 Bakare’s prophecy.

Bakare is not new to controversy

The clergy made the headlines in 2019 after he boldly claimed in a viral video to his teeming congregation that he had heard from God that he would be the one to succeed President Buhari in office.

The cleric said that was what he saw one year, seven months before he made the declarations, noting that the situation had not changed.

“I’ll probably be the first president preaching on Sunday,” Bakare told his congregation.

“I will succeed Buhari as President of Nigeria, and nothing can change it. I am number 16, Buhari is number 15. I never said it to you before. I am saying it now, and nothing can change it.

“In the name of Jesus, he (Buhari) is number 15. I am number 16. To this end was I born and for this purpose came I into the world. I have prepared you for this for more than 30 years”.

Bakare stressed that his ambition to succeed Buhari remained intact, and it would happen without effort, bursting intermittently into a Yoruba song: “Ohun gbogbo t’Oluwa yiu se fun mi, ko gba girigiri.” (Everything God has purposed to do for me does not require me to struggle).

Bakare said to those asking him on which political party he would run, and he had been telling them “the one Joseph used when he came out of the prison.”

The cleric said the number 16 was significant for him, recalling that the staircase in his father’s house has 16 flights, and a book he wrote in 1993 has 16 chapters.

“You think this is an overnight thing? Go to my father’s house and count all the steps; in that house, there are 16 steps. And I say it to those who care to listen; when that time comes, get ready, I will reach my goal. I meant everything I said. It was deliberately so,” he declared.

In a ‘prophecy’ ahead of the 1999 elections, he had said of then-candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, former President Olusegun Obasanjo that “he (Obasanjo) was not your messiah, he is king Agag and the prophetic axe will come upon his head before May 29, 1999.”

But the opposite was the case. Obasanjo did not only win; he governed for eight years. And more than 20 years after, the man is still alive.

UK welcomes NASS commitment to passing electoral bill by June

Vincent Ufuoma
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0
UK welcomes NASS commitment to passing electoral bill by June

THE United Kingdom has welcomed the effort of the Nigerian National Assembly to pass the bill seeking an amendment into the country’s electoral law.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria Catriona Laing expressed this during a working visit to Nigerian Senate President Ahmad Lawan in Abuja on Tuesday.

“Welcome Senate President’s commitment to pass electoral bill by end June,” she said on her Twitter handle.

She added that “Important discussion today with @DrAhmadLawan and @JamesDuddridge about democracy, including electoral reform and deepening political participation. @NGRSenate @nassnigeria”

Rejected three times for various constitutional and drafting issues by President Muhammadu Buhari, the electoral bill was passed by the 8th Senate led by Bukola Saraki in 2019.

The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has severally charged the president to show commitment to reform of the electoral system.

At a state of the nation press briefing in Abuja in 2020, the party’s spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan accused President Buhari of aborting the amendment of the Electoral Act in the 8th Assembly.

“Going by the election that we have had after the killing of the amendment, it shows clearly that we cannot  continue  on electioneering that will take charge of the exigencies like  what happened in the last Kogi governorship election.”

He said failure to urgently initiate electoral reforms was a deliberate plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to enthrone a state of “nature where the will of any individual, supported by bandits and vagabonds will become the norm.”

He said the demand of the opposition party was for the president to address issues relating to the amendment of the Electoral Act on June 12 broadcast  and initiate the process of sending an Electoral Act amendment bill to the National Assembly within  14 days, with a commitment to sign the amendment when signed by the legislature.

Insecurity: Buhari wants US to relocate military base to Africa

Vincent Ufuoma
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0
Insecurity: Buhari wants US to relocate military base to Africa

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged the United States to reconsider relocating US Africa Command (AFRICOM) from Stuttgart, Germany, to Africa, nearer the theatre of operation.

He also admonished the international community to support Nigeria and the sub-region in tackling growing security challenges to avoid spillovers.

According to his Special Adviser on Media & Publicity Femi Adesina, Buhari stated this during a virtual meeting with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday.

He said AFRICOM, partnering with countries to counter transnational threats, should be relocated to Africa to strengthen ongoing efforts to check  insecurity, with likely effect on other nations.

“The security challenges in Nigeria remain of great concern to us and impacted more negatively, by existing complex negative pressures in the Sahel, Central and West Africa, as well as the Lake Chad Region,” he said.

“Compounded as the situation remains, Nigeria and her security forces remain resolutely committed to containing them and addressing their root causes.  The support of important and strategic partners like United States cannot be overstated as the consequences of insecurity will affect all nations hence the imperative for concerted cooperation and collaboration of all nations to overcome these challenges.

“In this connection, and considering the growing security challenges in West and Central Africa, Gulf of Guinea, Lake Chad region and the Sahel, weighing heavily on Africa, it underscores the need for the United States to consider re-locating AFRICOM Headquarters from Stuttgart, Germany to Africa and near the Theatre of Operation,’’ he said.

The president said Nigeria would enhance collaborations in all forms with friends and strategic partners to work together for greater security for all, which remained the most significant condition for overcoming the existential challenges.

He commended the United States for the decision to repeal the immigration restriction known as the ‘Muslim ban,’ re-joining the World Health Organization (WHO) and Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

READ ALSO: Sani concerned with Buhari’s call for relocation of US military base to Africa

“Nigeria attaches great importance to its relations with the United States. Let me in this connection express appreciation to President Joe Biden for his welcome and reaching decision to repeal the Immigration restriction known as the ‘Muslim ban’ on travel and visas for citizens predominantly from Muslim Nations and African Countries, including Nigeria.

“I also wish to congratulate the United States for re-joining the World Health Organization (WHO) and Paris Agreement on Climate Change.  The leadership of the United States in these two organizations is crucial for international community.

“This action is a demonstration of the United States commitment in championing and supporting international organizations with the aim to build a better world for all,’’ he said.

President Buhari noted that Nigeria remained resolute in her commitment to supporting global efforts as enshrined in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which sought to limit global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the president, the convening of the Climate Change Summit last week by President Biden was a strong indication of the renewed interest of the United States in the Paris Agreement.

Secretary of State said he was pleased to make Nigeria part of his ‘first virtual visit to Africa,’ noting that Nigeria and the United States of America shared a lot in bilateral issues.

He added that he would be delighted to build on the foundation that was laid between the two countries over 60 years ago, disclosing that areas of discussion with Nigeria would include “how to build our economies back after the COVID-19 pandemic, security for vulnerable communities, and climate issues.”

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