The importance of commitment to security values and the presence of patriotic social forces have been advanced as the panacea to Nigeria’s security situation at the maiden edition of the OpenLife Annual Summit held on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The summit, themed “Creating Enabling Environment for Economic Growth Through Strategic Tackling of Insecurity,” brought together stakeholders from various fields and sectors, such as politics, banking, academia and security organisations.
The gathering deliberated on the need for effective tackling of Nigeria’s insecurity to enhance economic growth in the country.
While delivering the welcome address, the publisher of OpenLife magazine and the convener of the OpenLife Summit, Idumonza Isidahomhen, gave a concise background to the summit and its goals of how to achieve a better Nigeria.
According to him: “The outcome of this summit will not be one of those summits that have been held in Nigeria that ended up in the trash cans. All the issues that will be discussed here today, including the recommendations, will be sent as a communique to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the Office of the Chief of Staff as well as the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the Co-Ordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, as input into executive policy formulation and implementations.”
He further stated: “To demonstrate our commitment to an improved Nigeria, we, at OpenLife, have developed a monitoring mechanism to keep tabs on government activities in ensuring that resolutions don’t end up in the trash cans.”
While expressing worries about widespread insecurity in the country, Idumonza said the development is a collective concern of citizens and government.
“OpenLife, by this summit, is demonstrating that either as an individual or institution, security and improving the economy should be the concerns of all,” he stressed.
In his opening remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Senator Akin Odunsi, avowed 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.”
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.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who was represented at the summit 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.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogallah, represented by Rear Admiral Mustapha Balat 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.
He 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.
Rear Admiral Hassan 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.