President Tinubu
OpenLife Nigeria reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President and Commander-in- Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria, last week, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, received the Communique issued at the 2024 OpenLife Annual Summit.
The Summit, which was chaired by Senator {Chief} Akin Odunsi, held on August 22, 2024 at Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Themed “Creating Enabling Environment for Economic Growth through Strategic Tackling of Insecurity,” and organized by Negritude Development Company Ltd, publishers of OpenLife Magazine, a global news magazine, the Summit had speakers from different sectors and backgrounds.
Among the speakers were the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanual Ogalla, Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Professor Odion Akhaine etc.
In the end, some resolutions and recommendations were reached, culminating in a communiqué of suggested Plans of Action for the government and other stakeholders in the Nigerian state to consider and implement for a better Nigeria.
The Communique is reproduced below unedited
OpenLife Annual Summit, OAS, 2024
Communique
Communique issued at the end of OpenLife Annual Summit, OAS, themed “Creating Enabling Environment for Economic Growth through Strategic Tackling of Insecurity,” organized by Negritude Development Company Ltd, publishers of OpenLife Magazine
Introduction
The editorial board of OpenLife, a global news magazine, organized its maiden Summit titled OpenLife Annual Summit, OAS, with a theme “Creating Enabling Environment for Economic Growth through Strategic Tackling of Insecurity.”
The Summit held on Thursday, August 22, 2024 at Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Objective
The Summit was put together to inspire dialogue on topical national issues and offer short and long terms strategic solutions with aim of fostering understanding among tribes and nations for all-inclusive economic growth and social harmony.
Opening
Just after the welcome address by the publisher of OpenLife, Mr. Idumonza Isidahomhen, the Summit was declared open by Senator {Chief} Akin Odunsi in his capacity as the chairman of the event.
In his opening remarks, Senator Akin Odunsi emphasized that “the summit is timely and appropriate in our national life,” given the severity of the security challenges bedevilling Nigeria in the past few years.
He said: “We cannot but continue to deliberate and search for effective ways that could lead us out of the quagmire. Our discussions and the recommendations resulting from the Open Life Summit will contribute to the solutions available to our government to scale the hurdles of the security challenge.”
Senator Akin Odunsi, who represented Ogun West Senatorial District in the 7th Senate of the National Assembly, said it was heartwarming to see participants and guests from the relevant sectors present at the event.
“That is a good pointer to the fact that we are not just here for some social celebration, but a dignified occasion to examine one of the serious issues affecting our country’s corporate existence and well-being,” he said.
The senator further expressed his expectation, saying: “I do hope the discourse will yield quality insights that will help our country manage and subdue the issue of insecurity. With that in mind, I am optimistic that the needed conducive environment to grow our economy and enhance all-inclusive prosperity will be achieved.”
Other Speakers
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla who was represented by Rear Admiral Mustapha Bala Hassan, Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, stated that the OpenLife Summit provided the needed platform for crucial discussions on national security and economic growth.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Hassan stated: “It is only in a secure environment that socio-economic activities can thrive, thereby engendering economic growth for national development.”
While stating that terrorism, banditry, and communal clashes have adversely affected the nation’s socio-economic landscape, he also underscored the havoc wreaked by increasing maritime security challenges, including oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and piracy.
According to him, these issues are driven by poverty and the proliferation of small arms, which have stunted the growth of the oil and gas sector and thus limited government revenue.
He avowed that the Nigerian Navy is combating the problem with the implementation of a Total Spectrum Maritime Strategy that focuses on surveillance, response, and law enforcement.
He also detailed the Navy’s investment in state-of-the-art Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) facilities, which enable continuous monitoring of the maritime environment.
He dwelt on Operation Delta Sanity, one of the key initiatives launched in January 2024, aimed at eradicating crude oil theft and increasing daily crude oil output.
According to him, the operation has yielded significant results, with 35 ships involved in oil theft arrested and numerous illegal refining sites deactivated.
The success of the operation, according to him, has led to a steady increase in Nigeria’s crude oil production, rising from 1.24 million barrels per day to 1.65 million barrels per day by the end of July 2024.
He further disclosed that the Nigerian Navy is actively collaborating with local and international stakeholders to enhance maritime security.
Rear Admiral Hassan cited the navy’s recent participation in multinational exercises, such as Exercise Obangame Express and Operation Safe Domain 3, as evidence of commitment to regional cooperation in addressing maritime crimes.
He concluded with assurances that the Nigerian Navy, under Vice Admiral Ogalla’s leadership, is dedicated to maintaining safe and secure waters for legitimate economic activities that facilitate national development.
Alhaji Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who was represented by Apapa Area Commander of NCS, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu spoke about the role of customs in the economic diversification agenda of the federal government.
Olomu disclosed the various initiatives implemented by Nigeria customs aimed at facilitating legitimate trade and suppressing smuggling.
“For economic growth, we have devised a working system that ensures quicker processing of imports and exports through world customs organisation programmes like time release study, TRS, advanced ruling, dispute resolution committee, 24-hour port operations, and authorised economic operator (AEO),” he said.
On the strategic tackling of insecurity, he disclosed that the Nigeria Customs Service has adopted modern technology to optimise its operations.
“As part of our modernisation agenda, we have adopted non-intrusive inspection. This is an x-ray used in customs operations to screen imported and exported goods without disrupting their integrity. This advanced technology detects hidden items in goods without the need to physically examine them,” he said.
Professor Sylvester Odion Akhaine
Professor Sylvester Odion Akhaine of the Political Science Department, Lagos State University, who delivered a lecture titled: “Insecurity and the National Economy,” concisely defined the Nigerian situation, showing the nexus between insecurity and the worsening economy.
In his words: “The insecurity in Nigeria directly affects the productive forces, hence, the comatose nature of the national economy and the consequent bogey of hunger staring everyone in the face. Food crop production has become impossible due to prevailing insecurity in the country.
“The unearned income from the sales of crude oil has been jeporpardized by oil theft, which has reduced the country’s foreign exchange earnings and inclined it towards perpetual borrowing.”
This situation, according to Professor Akhaine, has undermined the strength of the national currency against major foreign currencies.
“The manufacturing sector, which is largely import-dependent for essential components, is hard-hit. Many companies have had to fold up compounding a sub-element of the insecurity in the country, that is, job insecurity.
“The indicators are so glaring: the exchange rate of the naira to the dollar is N1, 589; external indebtedness is $42,115.54 billion as of March 31, 2024,” he articulated.
The immediate past Head of Political Science Department in LASU, however, avowed that the country has the potential to solve the insecurity problem.
“Nigeria has the natural resources and the demographic capital to solve the problems that confront it.
“Is it not intriguing that a country that could lead peace initiatives in sister West African countries in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and restore democratic governance structure, is struggling to maintain social order in what I have referred to as the endless present?”
He noted that the problem is rooted in the failure of leadership and the absence of a patriotic nation-building elite.
“A new social force that is patriotic, a commitment to the security values we have identified is required to pull the country through these trying times,” he concluded.
Professor Bobby Moroe, South Africa Consul- General, Lagos
Professor Bobby Moroe, South Africa Consul- General who was represented by Ms Sebo Lenyai {Consul, Political} at the South Africa Embassy remarked that the age long relationship between Nigeria and South Africa should be strengthened devoid of acrimony.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
In like manner, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos called for unity among tribes and nations in Nigeria for the needed growth and prosperity.
Key Resolutions
After exhaustive discussions including in-dept analyses of issues as well as questions from journalists, action points were recommended as panacea for insecurity & economic growth in Nigeria.
The Summit reached resolutions, summarised as ACTION POINTS for the government and the people of Nigeria, as follows:
1. It is imperative to diversify the national economy to create jobs and guarantee food security. Specifically, governments, both at national and sub-national levels, must endeavour to identify areas of strength and weakness and harness those areas of strength to full-scale comparative advantage for all-inclusive economic growth. The starting point is for governments to accelerate implementable policies in those areas of strength.
2. Presentations by security agencies at the summit indicate patriotic efforts at tackling insecurity. However, there is an urgent need for proper funding, including continuous training and retraining of the country’s security personnel towards imbibing the right orientation to cordial relationships with the citizens as well as loyalty to popular sovereignty.
3. A need to stop the misapplications, and misappropriation of national and natural resources by civil, elected and appointed officials.
4. The imperative to make the refineries work.
5. A need to invest in human capital development that will propel the country’s organic prosperity in arts, science, medicine, engineering, agriculture, hospitality, etc., through proper funding of education at all levels.
6. A call on public officeholders to prioritise the country’s interests above private ones.
7. An appeal to Nigerians to recognise the strength in unity, live harmoniously with one another, support governments to achieve set objectives and co-operate with security agencies to achieve a secure environment where both the living and unborn generations can explore equal opportunities.
8. An appeal to individuals and institutions who collaborate with foreigners and other fifth columnists to unleash terrors, create upset and steal the county’s commonwealth through the borders, seas and air, to have a change of heart.
9. A call on Nigerians in general to engage only in legitimate economic activities that facilitate national development.
Conclusion
The editorial board and management of OpenLife, a medium with unblemished integrity on the basis of facts and accuracy in its reportage in the past 15 years, are committed to leveraging their combined experiences in news gathering to shape dialogues annually.
The essence is to establish cohesion among stakeholders in the Nigeria space for a better country where opportunities for growth can be harnessed by current and future generations.
Appreciation
The editorial board and management of OpenLife sincerely appreciate Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd, NNPCL, Zenith Bank Group Plc and C&1 Ltd for supporting the Summit at Eko Hotels & Suites.
We thank Senator {Chief} Odunsi for accepting to chair the event.
Our appreciations also go to all the speakers who shared thoughts and perspectives on insecurity and economic growth in Nigeria including Professor Bobby Moroe, the South Africa Consul General, Lagos who sent representatives as well as other invited guests and journalists who have been sharing the reports across the world.
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