Former Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has warned that if Nigeria continues with the current trend of doing things in 2023, the country should expect a plunge in the worst insecurity like the situation in Mali and Burkina Faso.
According to him, it will be tough for the next president who will succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 due to the present negative state of the economy.
Sanusi's caveat as a guest speaker during the 7th edition of Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit (KadInvest7.0) held in Kaduna yesterday is coming just as presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party, Peter Obi, reeled out their plans for Nigerians on security and the economy.
Sanusi advised those who would win elections in 2023 to take unpopular decisions once they enter office to salvage the economy.
The former Emir said the situation where by the cost of servicing debt in Nigeria is more than revenue generation cannot be sustained.
Sanusi II also called for the disbandment of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria stated: "Nigeria has continued to be a rentier state. It does not exist for development but as a sight of rent, and extraction to make those who control the state rich and turning into billionaires overnight.
"In 2023, if we have an election, we cannot continue to have the trend because any continuation will lead to insecurity and might get us to Mali, Burkina Faso's situation. We can't keep towards pushing the brink; we have to come back."
Sanusi who is also the vice chairman of Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency commended the successful implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), noting that the Kaduna State government has shown leadership.
"Once you start thinking of how you will win your second term, that is the beginning of your problem," he added.
On his part, Tinubu said if he is elected president in 2023 he will solve all the problems confronting the country.
Tinubu added that he would use counter insurgency technology to fight bandits, terrorists and other criminals if Nigerians support him to win, maintaining that no part of Nigeria will be ceded to criminals.
The former governor of Lagos State said he is confident of winning the 2023 general elections next year.
Tinubu who spoke at the 7th edition of Kaduna economic and Investment Summit said, "I have the ability to surmount all problems to bring the country on the right track and prosperity.
He itemised his administration's plans for the ensuring security returns to the country, stating the role of a secured nation in economic growth and development.
He noted that his administration will prioritise the training and retraining of the country's security forces.
His words: "We will be committed to introducing cross-sector initiatives that will address the economic and social constraints that prevent people from advancing or opting for crime.
"Under my leadership, the government will place great emphasis on the use of a counter-insurgency doctrine and strategy by our military. We will continue to train and equip our gallant forces and security personnel with the resources, gear, and equipment that they need to hasten our inevitable march to resounding victory against enemies of our great nation. Where necessary, we will recruit and train more personnel to bridge any gaps in manpower.
"Furthermore, my administration will prioritise the use of superior aerial technology to deter criminal and terrorist activities, as well as to monitor and protect our critical national infrastructure including our network of pipelines, our power stations, our transmission and distribution networks, our sea and airports, our rail networks and other vital infrastructure," he added.
"I will marshal a team of the most talented of Nigerians - men, women and youths - no matter their tribe and affiliations, to reset our nation on a path to achieve double-digit economic growth within a couple of years. We will do this through a coordinated set of policies in key sectors.
On the economy, the APC presidential candidate said, "We will privatise the ease of doing business; we will ensure steady power supply and distribution."
On the role of the private sector in the country's economic development, Tinubu praised President Muhammadu Buhari for giving maximum support to them to flourish.
According to him, laws put in place by the Buhari administration helped to improve the ease of doing business in the country.
He said if elected, his administration will build on this, making it better for the private sector to excel.
He noted: "A vibrant private sector is a prerequisite for a functional state, playing a critical role in the mobilisation of capital, expertise and innovation for the creation of economic opportunities and employment. This is why it is important for the government to give maximum support and incentives to the private sector.
"In this light, President Muhammadu Buhari's administration introduced a number of measures targeted at promoting private enterprises and businesses including the Repeal and Re-Enactment of the Companies & Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020, the passage of the Finance Act 2021, as well as the implementation of over 100 initiatives to improve ease of doing business in Nigeria.
"My desire is that the next administration, under my leadership, will continue to drive forward and accelerate on the progress made thus far, taking bold steps and initiatives to encourage investments in new areas typically considered risky, and leading the way by providing the enabling environment to nurture our innate entrepreneurial spirit.
"It is essential that our nation continues to champion the rule of law and sanctity of contracts, for these are the pre- requisites for creating a business-friendly economic environment.
"Whilst there must be active engagement between all the arms of government for the rule of law to prevail, it is critical for the judiciary to retain its autonomy and independence.
"Therefore, under my stewardship, the federal government will build on the efforts of the current administration to review, amend and/or enact the relevant laws that will engender the rule of law.
"My administration would ensure that the judiciary has true financial and administrative autonomy and strong disciplinary and integrity monitoring mechanisms."
"We will champion an efficient government that will eliminate revenue and expense leakages across all federal government areas, leveraging technology, which will be increasingly embedded into government operations.
"In oil & gas, we will prioritise gas distribution and availability to power our industries.
"In agriculture, we will provide incentives for investments, machinery and equipment, expand and empower commodity boards, enhance our strategic grains reserves, encourage the formation of farm cooperatives and expand the scope and depth of access to finance for our farmers.
"In housing, we will introduce policies that will make it easier to transfer title and carry out transactions on landed properties. We will work with the private sector to significantly expand mortgage financing and we will provide credits and incentives to encourage real estate developers.
"We will collaborate with key technology partners to develop policies that promote the use and integration of technology across other sectors within the nation. We will work to accelerate the work that is being done with the private sector to train our youth and promote innovation through sponsored incubator hubs and science technology parks.
The APC candidate urged all Nigerians to join hands with him to work together to achieve the collective vision of building the Nigeria of our dreams.
Tinubu was accompanied to Kaduna by governors of Jigawa and Kebbi states as well as other APC chieftains.
On his part, Atiku stated that building economic prosperity in Nigeria would be a mirage without unity and national security.
The PDP candidate who assured that if elected president he would develop Nigeria and build a dynamic economy for prosperity also promised to restore Nigeria's unity and strengthen the security apparatus.
He spoke during an interactive session organised by the Arewa Joint Committee made up of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF), Jamiyyar Matan Arewa (JMA) Arewa House (Center for Historical Development and Research) and Arewa Research and Documentation Project (ARDP) in Kaduna yesterday.
He said Northern Nigeria's current social and economic challenges calls for sobber reflection, adding that as a country, "we must build consensus with prosperity restoration and strong commitment and initiatives. I am committed to articulate and implement transformation and development agenda of a united, secure and prosperous country."
The former vice president averred that Nigeria's unity had never been threatened like now with an increasing number of Nigerians openly challenging their allegiance to the country's corporate existence through violent agitations and misguided demands for ethno-regional autonomy because of widespread feelings of marginalisation and neglect.
He said, "Nigeria has never been overwhelmed by insecurity in all parts of the country. Sadly we have reached a point where the functions of the state have been usurped by separatists, bandits, insurgents and terrorists. Despite her vast resources, Nigeria has remained one of the poorest and unequal countries in the world. Our economy is fragile and vulnerable. Jobs losses, eroding incomes and lack of citizens' access to basic amenities have pushed more than 90 million people below the poverty line.
"The public education system is ill-equipped and has consistently underperformed keeping millions of our children out of school and producing graduates with skills and competencies which are not aligned to the needs of our communication and our industries. Incessant industrial actions by ASUU and other unions of educational institutions have undoubtedly affected the quality of our workforce with far reaching consequences on the economy.
"Nigeria has continued to be affected by a faulty, complex federal structure with a high degree of centralisation at the center. The federal government has succeeded in accumulating many responsibilities which belong to the other weaker levels of government, the federal government appreciates along with these responsibilities, huge resources to the detriment of the states and local governments."
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He said he knew the challenges of Nigeria and had gathered enough experience to address the challenges and appealed to be given the opportunity to bring his wealth of experience to bear and provide good governance for the country.
Similarly, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said insecurity and low level investments in the agricultural sector are among the core factors fueling the current soaring food inflation in the country.
The former Anambra State governor who stated this in his message to mark the World Food Day 2022 argued that food inflation, which is biting hard in the country now stems majorly from insecurity.
This, he said, has made it impossible for farmers to return to their farms and engage in their agricultural activities for food production.
He pointed out that fighting insecurity would be his number one priority in office if given access to power because securing the nation will form the basis of any development, including massive food production.
"If you secure the country, the farmers will return to the farms, produce more foods and agricultural products, and food inflation will go down," he stated, explaining that lack of investment in agriculture, caused by over dependence on oil proceeds by the government is another reason why food inflation is hitting the roof.
He reiterated his stand that the greatest asset Nigeria has is the large expanse of land in the northern part of the country.
Obi said, "Borno State is 70,900km² in landmass, yet, they have uncultivated lands that are not yielding any productivity to the country. Sambisa forest, a vast farmland in Bornu State, is twice the size of Israel, which is just about 22,000km².
"Israel produces enough food for its population and for exports, while Nigeria can hardly feed the people.
"Borno State is twice the size of Netherlands, which is about 33,000km2 in landmass excluding water. Last year alone, Netherlands exported agricultural products worth of $120 billion, while Nigeria with a land mass of 923,770 km² cannot yet feed itself because we are depending on the now dwindling oil proceeds".
He, however, expressed confidence that Nigeria, under his watch, will move from consumption to production and that there will be adequate food production in the country, through right investment in agriculture.
