- Moghalu stated that honest questions need to be raised and that politics should be separated from security matters.
A chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), George Moghalu, has stressed the need for the federal government to explore innovative strategies and invest in agriculture to revitalize Nigeria’s economy.
Moghalu, a former national auditor of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the remarks on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, on Tuesday.
According to him, Nigeria’s agricultural sector has experienced a significant decline, having previously been the country’s economic backbone before the discovery of oil.
Moghalu also expressed disappointment over the state of Nigeria’s agricultural sector. The Labour Party chieftain commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration while noting that Nigerians cannot rely solely on palliatives.
“I must commend the President for the courage he has shown in some of the decisions he has taken, but the truth about it is that something has to be done. The government must think outside of the box,” Moghalu said.
Moghalu stressed the need for the government to rethink its economic strategy to benefit the general public.
“They must re-engineer the economy to the extent that it can impact the general public. We cannot survive on palliatives. We must face the challenges as it is, and be able to address these challenges. We must invest aggressively in agriculture.”
Moghalu reflected on Nigeria’s past agricultural successes, questioning what had changed.
“I ask myself and I ask the people around me. Before the advent of oil, we had a strong agriculture-based economy. “You talk about the pyramid in the North, you talk about palm produce in the South-East, you talk about cocoa in the South-West. Look at the investments that were made by our leaders then using agriculture. What has happened?”
Moghalu expressed concern over the security challenges in Anambra State, emphasizing the government’s primary responsibility to protect citizens and their property.
He advocated for honest discussions and separating politics from security matters.
“The principal responsibility of any government, as provided in our constitution, as provided in our laws, is the protection of people and their property,” Moghalu said.
Moghalu stressed that economic investments are meaningless without addressing insecurity.
“That’s the primary responsibility of the government. So, no matter what investment you make in that sector, it can’t be justified unless you address the issue of insecurity. Every effort you are making about economic investment is phantom.”
Moghalu shared his concerns about the frequent kidnappings and killings in Anambra State.
“There is no date that passes in my state that you don’t hear one negative story. It is either somebody has been kidnapped or somebody has been killed.”
Moghalu cited specific incidents, including the kidnapping of a retired archbishop and two reverend sisters.
“A few weeks ago, a retired archbishop of the Anglican Church was kidnapped and kept in detention for almost one month. A few days ago, two reverend sisters, principals of schools, were kidnapped.”
Moghalu also mentioned the assassination of a lecturer and the kidnapping of a House of Assembly member.
“A few weeks ago, a lecturer in Oka was assassinated. A few weeks ago, as we speak now, a member of the House of Assembly is still in the kidnappers’ den, as we speak.”
Moghalu emphasized the need for honest self-reflection and removing politics from security discussions.
“We need to ask ourselves honest questions, we must remove politics from security.”
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