The Coordinator of the Honorary International Investors Council (HIIC), Baroness Lynder Chalker, Tuesday urged the Federal Government to curtail the problems of proliferation of terrorism and crude oil theft in the country.
Also, former militants in the Niger Delta have said they would embark on a massive campaign against kidnapping, crude oil theft and sea piracy in the Niger Delta region.
Chalker, who spoke against the backdrop of forthcoming meeting in Abuja in June, observed that although the country had achieved an enviable and impressive economic profile, the activities of Islamist insurgents and oil bunkerers would not help in sustaining what it had achieved by way of economic growth and attraction of foreign investments.
According to her, these problems and how to overcome them are part of the agenda of the June meeting of the HIIC, a global advisory body that offer insights to President Goodluck Jonathan on how to launder the country's image in order to enable it attract international investors into the country.
Chalker, who earlier on had had a private meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, told journalists that her group was poised to assist Nigeria have an edge over emerging and equally favoured competitors, who were ready to take advantage of its weaknesses occasioned by violence and fraud to bouy their economies.
Noting that her group had a very fruitful interactive session with President Jonathan on the update of its work and the plans for the June meeting, she said: "We will be having further discussions and also seeking to bring about an end to oil theft in the Niger Delta, which is critical for the country and they are critical for the way in which the country is viewed abroad."
"We talked about the presentation of news, whether it was always fair. We talked about the relationship between the Federal Government and the 36 states in this. So it was a planning and update meeting and it was a very positive meeting.
Earlier, Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, had commended the achievements of the HIIC as an advisory body to President Jonathan, which had contributed to the nation's positive international image and investors' destinations.
Meanwhile, the ex-militants, who also renewed their support for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, stated that the decisions were part of the resolutions of a meeting of the former militants in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, under the aegis of the Leadership Forum for Peace in Niger Delta.
National President of the Forum, Reuben Wilson, said in an interview with journalists in Port Harcourt, that the campaign would take them to the various communities of the region, churches and the creeks.
He said the forum decried what they called the embarrassing decision of some youths in the region to return to the "inglorious path of kidnapping, crude oil theft and sea piracy" and declared that they would ensure that the malaise did not continue.
Wilson said: "We met in Akwa Ibom State this time around and part of our resolve was that there is the need for us to launch a campaign to make sure that we do not have cases of kidnapping and crude oil theft again. We are aware that there are still some elements in the creeks, who did not accept the amnesty and may be doing this kidnapping of a crime to embarrass the Federal Government.
"There may be others too who may be doing it to attract attention. But crime is crime and since it is a familiar path to us, we are not strangers to these things. We have offered to be involved so that we can call these boys to order.
"We need to do all we can to ensure that the president concentrates and delivers good governance to the people. We cannot be talking of foreign investments when there are still issues of kidnapping. We cannot talk of money for development when we are still hearing of crude oil theft and sea piracy."
Wilson said they were willing to stake their lives to return to the creeks and pull out those who were still operating from there and disrupting the peace of the country.
"If we need to go into the creeks to talk to whoever may be engaging in these acts of criminality, we will. We will stake our lives and do this. Nigeria belongs to all of us," he said.
He also said the effort was part of the contribution of the former militants to ensure that Jonathan concentrated in the governance of the nation.
"The president needs encouragement and support for him to succeed. We have already given our words that we will work towards ensuring that he returns to the seat in 2015 and this is one of the things we are going to do. Let me re-state that nobody can stop the president from being re-elected in 2015," he said.
About two weeks ago, some members of the forum were involved in securing the release of some foreigners, who were kidnapped in Bayelsa State.
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URGENT NEED TO SET UP A SPECIAL COURT TO TRY CORRUPTION CASES – AN ANTIDOTE TO SHAMEFUL INDICTED ONES, LET LOOSE, ROAMING FREE The mentally sick hears only his or her own voice unfortunately hallucinating in horror of mind darkness. This sadly explaining the mindset of President Goodluck Jonathan, his economic team and hired political bulldogs putting pass mark on the nation’s economy, despite the nation wallowing in endemic corruption. Commonsense must however dictate to the reasonable, that there is no way an economy overhung with corruption can be seen or said developing. One’s primary cause of concern however is that of President Goodluck Jonathan constantly demonstrating week leadership with core self deceit seeing an economic growth through the blurred mirror of reasonable definiteness. No doubt to help President Jonathan and his team come to good sense on the nation’s situation analysis, it took real courage for US former President Bill Clinton to have of very recent come over to Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria to diplomatically speak out the mind of the International Communities that we Nigerians are corrupt and spendthrifts and that “Like 90 percent of the country has a very good resource but haven’t done well with the oil money” About the same time, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambers the former President of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) scathingly came to Port Harcourt Nigeria at 2nd edition of Professor Claude Ake memorial Lecture to tell us the home truth “linking the poverty level in Nigeria as well as dearth in public infrastructure such as roads to corruption that has eaten deep into fabrics of the country” As if to say “enough is not enough” for Nigeria on this matter of leadership seeing double on the nations’ economic retrogression, ahead of upcoming June meeting of Honorary International Investors Council, the Coordinator of the group, a British Leader of respect, Baroness Lynda Chalker who on meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa without mincing word disclosed that “ The private sector is very cautious and wants to see commitments. They want to see an end to terrorism in then North, end to the oil theft in the South and good governance in all the states” The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido obviously determined not to let the opportunity escape him of timely saying it loud on the nation’s economy situations on Tuesday March 5 2013, as a special guest speaker at the Metropolitan Club in Lagos made it clear that “ We must join hands and fight corruption in all strata of the economy. It is causing distortion and destruction t the economy” With all the aforementioned rightful castigations of wrongful in the nation’s economy by highly respected individuals of global respect commanding, it have been proved without doubt that we are moving into fast lane of self annihilation in need of urgent redirection. The indentified major area of concern is notably corruption and on which the nation’s leaders are playing with kid gloves obviously because they are involved. Therefore to save our democracy and civilization from looming dangers, we must act fast and now with the national Assembly making a fast lane law to set up Two Steps Special Court of Fast lane Tribunal status, meant only for trial of Corruption cases; And which Court must be headed by retired Court of Appeal Judge of proven integrity and good records. At the first step court, the trial should not last more than three months whilst and an appeal from the initial trial court to the upper and final court to be headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge of proven integrity and good records, should as well not last more than three months. At least trial of a corruption case should not last more than 12 calendar months. This will in addition to ridding the nation of odium, send out a no nonsense signal on the need for righteous living by all. It makes nonsense of our judicial system seeing those already indicted for corruption and shameless stealing from the purse being allowed to walk and roam free, employing diabolical trial delay tactics to continue playing lead roles not only in the polity but employing the power of the stolen wealth to dictate the pace of our events and happenings. This sending the wrong message to those with inclination to crime and criminal activities and in particular our youths that crime pays. We must ensure that the business of crime and being corrupt does not pay and by all reasonable legal and lawful means ensuring that those indicted for the evil of corruption are not spared but timely prosecuted to logical conclusion irrespective of whom they are. Dr. Olapade Agoro (Aladura Patriarch) Owa’Tapa of Itapa Ijesa land, National Chairman, former Presidential Candidate, National Action Council (NAC)