At Oxford, Sambo Canvasses Nigeria’s Membership of G-20

Vice President Namadi Sambo
 
    

Flaunting a campaign slogan of  “the biggest black nation in the world,” Vice President Namadi Sambo said yesterday in Oxford, United Kingdom that it was right to make Nigeria a member of G-20 so that she can continue her duties of contributing to global issues.
Delivering an International Relations Society lecture, at the Oxford University in the United Kingdom weekend, Vice-President Namadi Sambo said it would amount to denial and injustice to exclude Nigeria from such a body taking into consideration her established status as a regional power whose balancing effects have ensured peace among countries.

A statement from his media team said the Vice President reminded the group that Nigeria has been has involved in many of interventions to restore peace across the world at huge costs.

He argued that giving a seat at the G-20 to the country can only further world peace.
The Vice-president submitted that as the G-20, which includes members of the G8 that is made up of the eight most industrialised economies of the world, was a main global economic forum, there was need for adequate representation of Africa on the body. He said South Africa being the only African member nation does not indicate adequate representation of the continent on the body.

To him, adding Nigeria to the list will reduce the representation burden, adding that with the recent reform in Nigeria, the political and economic horizon has opened for widespread business opportunities in addition to the huge population and emerging markets which is a reason for the seat to be given to Nigeria.

“Despite the global economic crisis, Nigeria retains her free enterprise and private-sector friendly economy. Our financial system is stable and healthy just as returns on investment remain un-matchably high and quick.
“We have also introduced new measures and policies to institutionalise investment friendly visa regime. We have liberalised our immigration rules. This is because we are very aware that we need foreign investors and tourists to achieve our lofty goal of joining the league of the 20 most industrialised countries by the year 2020,” he explained.

On the political front, Sambo pointed out that even those who pretend that Nigeria was not a global nation to be reckoned with, have given themselves away with the interest the 2011 elections in Nigeria has generated globally. He assured the world that votes would count in the election and the exercise would be free and fair to produce the result that will reflect the wishes of the electorate.
He assured the world that the fears about the elections and backlashes in the Niger Delta over violence perpetrated by militants were now things of the past as peace has returned due to the amnesty programme of the federal government.

Source:http://www.thisdayonline.info/nview.php?id=185903