Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), says insecurity in Africa most populous country is being weaponised for political reasons.
Okonjo-Iweala spoke on Sunday at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos state.
The WTO director-general said there would not be any development in the country without having adequate security.
“We cannot have socio-economic development without security,” she said.
“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.
“We have politicians who believe that the best way to make their opponents look bad is to instigate insecurity making it look like they can’t govern, regardless of whether this leads to loss of lives and property of innocent Nigerians.
“This has to stop.”
Okonjo-Iweala said the massive theft of crude oil has undermined the country’s financial health.
“Nigerians have seen for years how organised crude oil theft on a massive scale seriously undermines the economic and financial health of the country,” the WTO director-general said.
“All Nigerians must agree that stealing of our national assets of any type is intolerable and must be stopped.”
The former minister added that there is so “much technology” to track crude oil theft and there should not be any excuses not to do so.
