Opeyemi Agbaje, a leading economist, has urged the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, to move decisively to address the nation’s current insecurity problems.

Mr Abaje emphasised that if the security concerns are not addressed, they will have a negative impact on the nation’s socio-economic progress.

He made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja, while delivering a presentation titled “Crime and Insecurity: Understanding Nigeria’s Socio Economic Crisis.”

Mr Agbaje, founder and CEO of a leading strategy and business advisory firm, RTC Advisory Services, was a guest lecturer at the media parley event organised by First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

Insecurity has remained a problem in Nigeria especially in the North-east region which has been the target of unrelenting attacks for more than ten years from dangerous extremist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP). The violence in the region has had a disastrous effect on agricultural productions and other sources of income, cut off essential utilities, and an increased number of displaced people.

About 8.4 million people, mostly in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states, are said to be in need of humanitarian aid in the year 2022, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Speaking further, Mr Agbaje noted that the information and data at hand suggest that Nigeria has become stuck in an economic crisis and requires competent leadership to get it out.

Mr Agbaje noted that the current security architecture was strong and the insecurity situation could be fully resolved with the needed political will.

“If the president makes himself clear and is decisive about tackling the challenges, he will succeed. I don’t think that the Nigerian military is that incompetent. There have been mixed signals; you can’t afford to have mixed signals if you must succeed in addressing insecurity in a complex country like Nigeria” he said.

According to him, the crime rate would keep rising as long as there is a broken economy and ineffective government.

He continued by saying that a combination of market and social policies was required to get the nation out of the current economic mess.

In his welcome speech, Diran Olojo, the bank’s vice president for corporate affairs, argued that an informed media will help the country’s development and advance society.

He urged journalists to practice ethical reporting for the benefit of the public and their brands.

“At FCMB, we are committed to constantly adding value to the media industry. Investing in the capacity-building of professionals in the industry is an essential part of our commitment to positively contributing to the media’s success. 

“This capacity-building and interactive session serves as a tangible demonstration of our unwavering commitment to this cause.

“We believe responsible journalism is crucial in maintaining the credibility and integrity of the media. We encourage our colleagues and friends in the media to practice responsible journalism to benefit their organisations and society.

“By practising responsible journalism, media practitioners can build trust with their audiences, ensuring that the information disseminated is accurate, fair, and unbiased,” he said.