There has never been a more appropriate time to call for peace and the change of the narrative around Nigeria than now when there growing clamourings for the devolution of Nigeria along ethnic and religious lines, the agitations around the #EndSARS and the desire of Nigerians to see Nigeria of the future,.
The American Business Council (ABC), The National Orientation Agency (NOA), and The Nedola Initiative Ltd (TNIL); a sustainability management firm, are working together to set the stage for the conversation.
The event will hold via a webinar titled: “The Imperative of Peace for a Successful Economy”, slated to hold tomorrow . Speakers at the event include Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum’; Dipo Faulkner, President of the American Business Council, Nigeria; Garba Abari, Director General, NOA and Abidemi David Edmond, Chief Responsibility Officer of TNIL while Pat Utomi, Founder, Centre for Values in Leadership is the anchor for the day.
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Speaking about the event and the need to actively engage the business community in the work of building Nigeria, Abidemi David Edmond, Chief Responsibility Officer at TNIL, said in a statement “Often when it comes to the Nigerian narrative, we mostly hear from certain groups like youths, politicians, activists – of course all these stakeholder groups are important. However, there is another very important stakeholder group critical to whatever solution will lead to the Nigeria of our dreams and that is the business community. We must not forget the critical role that business plays in building a peaceful society by supporting the economic activity of citizens and how the activities of these other groups impact businesses as well, because no business can thrive in a society that fails. There is a need to actively work with organisations like the American Business Council of Nigeria and their members to engage and support other key groups around the issue of building Nigeria.”
The ABC’s involvement is of particular interest as it can be argued that many of the businesses in the association will know a thing or two about what it takes to build a nation that is good for people and good for business, taking the USA as an example.
Speaking about this in the statement, Margaret Olele, CEO/Executive Secretary, ABC, said, “The American Business Council is pleased to be involved in driving this conversation on the imperative of peace for a successful Nigerian economy. Ensuring peace is both an individual responsibility and a communal call. As a platform that supports US private sector, we believe that peaceful democracies accelerate economic growth and encourage fecund business environments. Our recent US Economy Survey attests to this.”
