Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has raised concerns about the weaponisation of insecurity in Nigeria for political gains.
Speaking on Sunday at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos, Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the detrimental impact of political actors exploiting insecurity to undermine governance in Africa’s most populous nation.
“We cannot have socio-economic development without security,” Okonjo-Iweala asserted. “We certainly cannot have security without development. 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.”
The WTO chief pointed out that some politicians deliberately instigate insecurity to tarnish the image of their opponents, creating a perception of incompetence, regardless of the severe consequences on the lives and property of innocent Nigerians. “This has to stop,” she emphasized.
Okonjo-Iweala also addressed the issue of massive crude oil theft in Nigeria, which she said has significantly undermined the country’s economic stability. “Nigerians have seen for years how organised crude oil theft on a massive scale seriously undermines the economic and financial health of the country,” she noted.
The former Nigerian finance minister called for a collective stance against the theft of national assets, stressing that such activities are intolerable and must be curbed.
She further highlighted the availability of technology that can effectively track crude oil theft, dismissing any excuses for failing to do so.
