The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe (ANPE) says President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Armed Forces have done much better than other countries in the fight against terrorism.
The group of Nigerians also hailed the Federal Government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and the general socio-economic development of the country.
ANPE made this known in a communique signed by its President, Dr Agwu Onyeke and seven others at the end of a virtual consultative assembly held by its leadership on the state of affairs in Nigeria.
Among others, ANPE unanimously agreed that the spate of insecurity had been propelled by politicians that want to score political points as well as distract the Service Chiefs.
It added that “no country facing the multilayers of security threats like Nigeria has done better in the handling of the various threats”.
While hailing the security heads for discharging their duties despite the campaign of calumny, the group said troops have displayed an enviable level of professionalism in tackling insecurity.
However, ANPE advised Nigerians not to give in to conspiracy theories by dubious entities doubting the existence of COVID-19.
Introduction:
The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe is the umbrella body of Nigerian professionals in various fields of endeavours in Europe. The association amongst other things serves a think tank of ideas for the socio-economic development of Nigerian through its robust database that consists of distinguished Nigerians that have excelled in their chosen fields that span through finance and economics, politics, engineering, international relations, banking, criminology, insurance, science and technology and other areas of human endeavours.
The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe has over the years availed developmental ideas and policy framework to past administrations in Nigeria at the various tiers of government to hasten the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
The Convocation of the virtual consultative assembly:
The leadership of the Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe in the light of the issues bedevilling Nigeria convoked an emergency consultative assembly to deliberate on the state of the nation.
The emergency consultative assembly was attended by members from various countries in Europe to deliberate on the state of the nation Nigeria.
The Deliberations:
The deliberations touched on critical sectors of the Nigerian economy such as insecurity, COVID 19 pandemic, and the general socio-economic development of Nigeria. After extensive debates and paper presentations by members in various disciplines, the following resolves were made:
The Resolve:
Insecurity:
The Association of Nigerian Professionals unanimously agreed that the spate of insecurity in Nigeria had been propelled mainly by politicians that want to score political points towards the 2023 general elections.
That there seems to be a grand plot to undermine the efforts of the government to address the security challenges in the country through the sponsorship of groups to cause violence and bloodletting in some parts of the country to paint a general picture of incapacity of the government to provide sound leadership direction in the country.
That there is also a grand plot to cause a distraction for the Service Chiefs in the country through the sponsorship of a distractive campaign calling for the sack of Service Chiefs in the country.
COVID 19 Pandemic:
That indeed, the outbreak of COVID 19 has affected the socio-economic development of Nigeria as it is globally.
That the number of cases has been on the increase due to the testing of more people by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
That community transmission is at its peak due to the nonchalance of Nigerian citizens towards the observation of the laid down government protocol towards halting the further spread of the disease.
That a large chunk of Nigerians does not believe in the existence of COVID 19 and the need to adhere to all laid down precautions.
Our Position:
The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe after extensive deliberations on the state of the nation in Nigeria as a result of this makes the following statements:
That no country facing the multilayers of security threats like Nigeria has done better in the handling of the various threats.
That the Nigerian Military has displayed an enviable level of professionalism in tackling insecurity in Nigeria.
That the Nigerian Army has been exceptional in the prosecution of the Boko Haram war in North-East Nigeria
That the various heads of security agencies have continued to be focused in the discharge of their duties despite the campaign of calumny against them in the media.
That investigation has shown that the government has improved on Defense spending and accountability in the last five years.
That a regime of transparency and discipline has been enthroned in the military, notably the Nigerian Army under Lt. Gen TY Buratai.
That the government response to the COVID 19 pandemic has been outstanding given the circumstances
That the Nigerian Police Force has been outstanding in the handling of cases of kidnappings and farmer-herder crisis
Recommendation/Conclusion:
The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe wishes to conclude that the COVID19 pandemic has hampered the socio-economic development in Nigeria. However, the response of the government has been impressive through its various interventions.
We state that though great efforts are in place, more still has to be done in ensuring that the effect of the COVID19 pandemic in Nigeria is mitigated.
The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe also commends the Service Chiefs in Nigeria (Army, Navy, Air force, Police and the DSS) for their commitment towards addressing the various security challenges in the country.
The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe acknowledges that no nation facing the kind of multilayered insurgency like Nigeria is facing has done better than Nigeria.
The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe lauds the government on its investments in critical infrastructures across the country, which to an extent is driven by the current borrowing plan of the government. This is indeed commendable and the right way of spending for the future, even though emphasis should be placed on other critical sectors that require adequate funding.
The Association of Nigerian Professionals in Europe advises Nigerians not to give in to conspiracy theories by dubious entities doubting the existence of COVID 19, as it is real. No government is playing politics as the world has seen considerable improvements.
Nigerians the world over are, therefore, encouraged to support the administration in any possible ways to ensure that insecurity is entirely addressed.
