Tinubu reiterates commitment to tackle insecurity in North-West, nation
…Urges Nigerians to continue to unite as a people, embrace peace for development
…Says Green industrial vision complementary to oil, gas investment drive
President Bola Tinubu has reiterated the commitment of his administration to address insecurity in the North-West and the country in general.
Tinubu gave the assurance on Monday in Katsina at the opening of a two-day Summit on Peace and Security in the North-West, organised by the North-West Governors’ Forum, in collaboration with UNDP.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the summit is: “Regional Cooperation for securing lives and livelihoods”.
Represented by the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, the president urged Nigerians to continue to unite as a people and embrace peace for development.
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“We promised to make Nigeria safe and the security agenda has been a top priority of the administration for the past one year.
“We are not slowing down until we achieve our goal,” he said.
Tinubu said that the government would continue to ensure that every child goes to school and returns home safely, while the farmers would plant seeds in a secured environment.
The president said that the government was strengthening collaboration with all the stakeholders and it had intensified military operations to address the situation.
Tinubu, however, pointed out that it was disheartening that Hausa and Fulani, who have been one before, were now divided and fighting each other.
He stressed the need for them to embrace peace for the development of the zone and the country in general.
In his remarks, Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina State, stressed the importance of confronting the menace collectively, saying, “because it is a concern to all.”
Radda said that their goal was to provide peace, security and ensure property in the region.
He urged that the summit must address the root causes of the insecurity to enable the governments to address the menace.
The governor revealed that ensuring every child access to quality education and youth empowerment would assist in tackling the menace.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, said that the problem has persisted over a long period, hence the need to provide answers to the root causes of the problem.
“We have had a series of conferences on this problem, we must provide solutions to them.
“We have met with the Northern Governors’ Forum four to five times on the same issue. We must tell ourselves the truth about what we must do to challenge these bandits,” he said.
Abubakar assured continued support of the traditional institutions in addressing the problem.
In another development, President Bola Tinubu says Nigeria remains committed to a balanced approach to energy transition and still requires substantial investments in the oil and gas sector to meet the energy demands and economic needs of its population.
Speaking at a meeting on Monday in Abuja with the Group Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank, Mr. Bill Winters, the President called for a just energy transition that supports vulnerable communities across the nation.
Highlighting the importance of balancing the mutually beneficial shift to green industrial growth and energy with the immediate energy needs of Nigerians, the President said: ”We value your cooperation, friendship, and partnership. Substantially, we have oil and gas as our primary source of revenue today. As friends, we do not expect you to run away from investments in this sector. We face the future prospect while prudently maximizing the present.
”Green industry and energy, yes. We will surely catch up with that. To run a marathon, you need energy today. Nigeria holds the largest reserves of gas in Africa. We know we can make best use of great opportunities that exist in the sector. We do not want you to back away from fossil fuels.
”I have seen retractions and retreat positions by some players in the industry. But for any energy transition to succeed, people must live and live well.
”We must be able to meet our obligations to the vulnerable communities. We are committed to being prudent with our natural resources to bring prosperity to our deserving people.
”As we hold the largest reserves in gas on the continent, we do not want to go backward, we want to move forward, and we welcome deepened partnership with your institution.”
President Tinubu also highlighted strategic projects across different sectors embarked upon by his administration to stimulate economic growth.
He reiterated his commitment to sustaining ongoing economic reforms and measures to stabilize the economy.
The Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun described Standard Chartered Bank as a valued partner to Nigeria, providing finance for infrastructure, advice on ratings, and the prudent management of Nigeria’s Eurobond.
He disclosed that the Bank has indicated interest to finance key infrastructure projects in Nigeria, including the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line rehabilitation, as well as the provision of $3 billion in innovative financing for the NLNG dividend initiative.
”They are also one of our lead managers for Eurobond issuance, and they advise us on our ratings. I am pleased to note that Moody’s has just completed our rating review and maintained Nigeria’s rating as a positive outlook, which is very encouraging,” the Minister said.
The Minister also said Moody’s positive outlook rating follows the recent announcement of the World Bank’s $2.25 billion financing package for Nigeria, reflecting the positive trajectory of the current administration’s economic reforms.
In his remarks, Mr. Winters lauded President Tinubu’s bold economic reforms, noting the international investment community’s recognition and support.
”We see ourselves as ambassadors to Nigeria in the international investment community, and we take our advisory role very seriously. We will continue to offer objective advice to the country because we have commitments in the country backed by our strong belief in what this administration is doing,” he said.
The delegation from Standard Chartered Bank included Mr. Foluso Phillips, Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, and Mr. Dalu Ajene, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria branch of the bank.
