President Muhammadu Buhari has suggested the establishment of duty-free and quota-free market access for products originating from the world’s 46 least-developed countries to get them out of povery and ensure their integration in regional and global value chains.
The President, who spoke in Doha, the capital of the State of Qatar today, March 6, at the UN Conference of Least Developed Countries, strongly criticized the current structure of the global financial system which places an unsustainable external debt burden on the most vulnerable countries.
He warned that such debt burdens would make it extremely difficult for LDCs to meet the 2030 Agenda for Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“In 2015, the world came together to endorse the 2030 Agenda for Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. There was no doubt that it was highly ambitious and would require leaders around the world to be fully committed for the SDGs to be achieved within the projected timeframe.
“Eight years on, the possibility of achieving the SDGs remains bleak for many countries, particularly, the Least Developed Countries. The difficulties in achieving the SDGs are numerous and were further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the continued threat of Climate Change, and recently the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“The Least Developed Countries are often faced with developmental vulnerabilities and challenges that are not always of their making. These pose huge obstacles to their development efforts, hence the need for urgent and robust assistance to help unlock their potentials and build socio-economic resilience.
“This assistance can be provided within the framework of the Doha Programme of Action which is designed to help LDCs exit their current classification.”
The Nigerian leader challenged developed countries, civil society actors, the private sector, and the business community, to partner with the LDCs in order to provide necessary resources and capacity to deliver development outcomes in the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the 2030 Agenda.
He listed some measures that will help LDCs recover from COVID-19, achieve SDGs, develop and prosper over the long term.
“As a matter of urgency, there are a number of priorities we have to focus on to help achieve the SDGs in these countries and ensure their prosperity. First, COVID-19 has taught us that we must all work together, to ensure that diseases do not thrive in the LDCs, due to their overall negative impact on productivity and economic growth and development.
“Accordingly, policy and budgetary provisions must be made to ensure equal access to medicare and vaccines, for both the poor and the rich alike. We must also work with manufacturers of medical equipment and pharmaceutical companies to provide adequate equipment, test-kits, vaccines and treatments for diseases.”
Speaking more on the issue of rising debt burden, President Buhari underscored the need for reforms of the international financial architecture that prioritizes the need of Least Developed Countries.
He aligned with the United Nations Secretary-General’s description on the global financial system as an “unfair debt architecture that not only charges poor countries much more money to borrow on the market than advanced economies, but downgrades them when they even think of restructuring their debt or applying for debt relief.”
On trade issues, President Buhari said it is important to put in place modalities to facilitate transit cooperation, transfer of technologies, and access to global e-commerce platforms, as they are critical for the integration of LDCs into the regional and global value chains and communications technology services.
“The adoption of a global coordination mechanism to systematically monitor illicit financial flows and engender support for a United Nations International convention on tax matters to eliminate base erosion and profit shifting, tax evasion, capital gains tax and other tax abuses is essential to achieving the SDGs and promoting security and economic prosperity.”
On Nigeria’s expectation for the Conference, the President expressed optimism that the Doha Programme of Action would lead to the acceleration of exports from LDCs by 2031, through the facilitation of their access to foreign markets in line with World Trade Organization Facilitation Agreement.
On climate change, President Buhari said that LDCs continue to suffer disproportionately despite contributing least to its causes. He added that countries must prioritize cutting global emissions and work with determination to hold warming to 1.5 degrees, thereby securing the children’s future.
“We must also commit to helping build resilience in developing countries, while also providing the needed technical as well as financial support for a just transition to renewable energy.”
He warned that climate change remains one of the biggest existential threats facing humanity today, posing challenges to lives and livelihoods, and manifesting in different negative forms, including increase in temperature, rise in sea levels, flooding, drought, and desertification.
“It has also led to significant loss of biodiversity. Worst still, climate change has exacerbated conflicts and led to unplanned migration, causing untold hardship in places like the Lake Chad Basin region.
“The Least Developed Countries therefore continue to suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change, despite contributing the least to its causes. Deaths from climate related crises are higher in the most vulnerable countries, with projections that there will continue to be an upward trend.
“We must continue to focus on how best to ensure the provision of security, education, health and other basic services to our people, in order to guarantee a prosperous future for all.”
President Buhari commended the State of Qatar for hosting the Conference and thanked Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir, for inviting him.
He also expressed appreciation to the UN for its excellent organisation of the conference and its continued support for the LDCs.
The President also explained his presence at the conference despite the fact that Nigeria is not categorised as one of the Least Developed Countries.
“Nigeria is here to show solidarity and support to the LDCs in the quest to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in this decade of action, where no one should be left behind.”
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has constituted a 13-member legal team to represent it at the Presidential Petition Tribunal over the February 25 Presidential election which its candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu won.
In Search Of A Nigeria That Works For All, By Fredrick Nwabufo
The place of leadership in forging bonds of communality is the place of purpose and deliberateness. The leadership must be very deliberate in managing diversity and in fostering kinship among variegated people.
Nation building cannot be left to chance or to the whim of anyone. There must be purposive plans and actions towards uniting the people.
We cannot play possum about unity – most especially now. It has remained a reverie, and an elusive expedition for Nigeria. We yearn for it, or rather quibble about it, but we have not really applied ourselves to dismantling the iron curtains of ethnicity and religion.
As a matter of fact, it is a sheer pursuit of apparitions to assume or suggest that any single leader can unite Nigeria without the commensurate efforts of citizens to the cause. To unite Nigeria, there is a place for leadership, and there is a place for followership. Uniting Nigeria will involve Nigerians from all strata.
The place of leadership in achieving unity in Nigeria is the place of personal example. Leadership by deed not just by words. The leadership demonstrating the highest level of objectivity, fairness, and probity in dealing with Nigerians regardless of religious or political persuasion or ethnic background. The leadership showing sufficient inoculation against the contagion of religious and ethnic bigotry and exclusivism.
Where the leadership betrays prejudices, the followership sunders. The leadership is doomed to be assailed by a phalanx of discontents when it ignores the elements of inclusion.
This is the reason I applaud Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s first step as president-elect. In his acceptance speech, he gave away his bent and predisposition to bringing sundered people together. The focality of his speech was ‘’Whether you are Batified, Atikulated, Obidient, Kwankwasiyya, or have any other political affiliation, you voted for a better, more hopeful nation and I thank you for your participation and dedication to our democracy. You decided to place your trust in the democratic vision of a Nigeria founded on shared prosperity and one nurtured by the ideals of unity, justice, peace, and tolerance. Renewed hope has dawned in Nigeria.’’
Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, said Tinubu set up a committee to meet with presidential candidates for reconciliation. Really, he does not have to, but for a president who wants to build consensus among the people; he is embracing his opponents. This is good sportsmanship. I believe this opens a window into the mentation of Nigeria’s president-elect. It says Tinubu will run an all-inclusive government – a government of national unity.
It is against this background that I consider the hostilities from Peter Obi, the Labour Party, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite the efforts at rapprochement by Tinubu as ill-advised. I wish Peter Obi would listen to wise counsel and not go down this scorched path. The election is done. There is nothing to be had on this path, but animosity, isolation, and tension. It is time for reconciliation and working together for Nigeria.
For his first shot at the top job, Peter Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election is commendable and a learning curve. But it was clear he had no chance of winning the election. He did not secure 25% of votes in 25 states and did not garner enough popular votes. I believe it will be more historic if Obi extends a hand of fellowship to the president-elect than chasing apparitions and chest thumping while at it.
If his pursuit for power is in the public interest, he must look beyond himself, and seek to support the next government for the good of Nigerians he professes to love. A Nigeria that works for all is what we need.
Tinubu has shown that he is of the nationalist phylum but with a surfeit of understanding of the imperativeness of building of a nation on the back of consensual support, and responsibility. He must stay on this path. It will get rocky, but he must maintain equal oomph even when his efforts are unrequited.
A Nigeria that works for all is what we need.
Uniting Nigeria will need more than the ‘’body language’’ of the leadership. It will take deliberate effort, personal example, and a clear strategy. Uniting Nigeria will be hard labour, but it is a task that must be done.
Nwabufo, aka Mr. OneNigeria is a media executive.