Stop Weaponising Insecurity – Okonjo-Iweala Cautions Politicians

• Insists ‘This has to stop!’
• No more excuses for oil theft

BY CHINYERE OBIORA – The Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has cautioned politicians in Nigeria to stop weaponising insecurity against their opposition in office.

According to her, it would be extremely difficult for the country to enjoy socio-economic development without security and office holders must refrain from making the political space unsafe for interested competitors.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos on Sunday, Okonjo-Iweala said; “We cannot have socio-economic development without security. We certainly cannot have security without development.”

The former Nigerian Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, who delivered a keynote address on; “A Social Contract For Nigeria’s Future”, further said; “We all know that security has been weaponised in our country for political purposes by political actors, leading partly to the situation we have now.

“We have politicians who believe that the best way to make their opponents look bad is to instigate insecurity making it look like they can’t govern, regardless of whether this leads to loss of lives and property of innocent Nigerians. This has to stop.”

Also describing oil theft as ‘intolerable’, Okonjo-Iweala said there are adequate technological innovations to track crude oil theft and bring those behind the act to justice in Nigeria.

Maintaining that those responsible for stopping the “intolerable” action of crude oil theft no longer have excuses”, the WTO boss said; “A second aspect of security relates to the security of national assets.

“Nigerians have seen for years how organised crude oil theft on a massive scale seriously undermines the economic and financial health of the country. All Nigerians must agree that stealing of our national assets of any type is intolerable and must be stopped.”

Okonjo-Iweala, while noting that oil theft has hampered the strengthening of the foreign reserves, said; “There is so much technology available now to track such theft and there must be no more excuses for inaction.”

The programme, with the theme, ‘Pressing Forward; A National Posture to Rebuilding Nigeria’, was graced by many dignitaries including former President of Ghana, John Mahama, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the President, Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem.

Others who sent in representatives were the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun; Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker, House of Representatives,  Tajudeen Abbas.