By Naomi Uzor

The Senate President, David Mark has assured that the National Assembly will do every thing within its power to put an end to the insurgency in the country.

Senate President David Mark

Speaking at one-day interactive forum tagged Democratic Transition and the Nigerian Economy, organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, at the weekend, Mark said “We do not underestimate the consequences of the festering insecurity in the nation.

”Accordingly, we are providing all necessary cooperation through appropriation, legislation and partnership with the executive in the fight against insurgency and terrorism. I am confident that we can end this sad and unfortunate chapter in our contemporary history as quickly as possible.”

Continuing, the Senate President said; “Democracy is not an end in itself but a means to an end and that whatever happens, Nigerians must be able to promote the principles and values of freedom of choice, accountability and transparency, rule of law, protection of the rights of the minorities and the citizen participation, among other things.”

He noted that all over the world, a democratic environment is generally recognised as a necessary condition for the private sector to thrive and it is no coincidence that so many leading economies of the world operate in democratic settings.

“Even in those political environments which may not be classified as fully democratic, free market economics tends to be the predominant mode of capital flow. Because here in Nigeria, we combine democratic governance and free market economics, there is ample opportunity for investors to engage political leadership in order to develop an enabling environment for businesses” he said.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, who was represented by the Commissioner for commerce and industry, Lagos state, Mrs. Shola Oworu, said, a very smooth transition is important for businesses to thrive.

He said Africa has one of the most thriving economies that has witnessed growth and as the country moves into transition, it is very critical that the business community is put into consideration.

“In Lagos state, the private sector is important to the state and the private sector should be allowed to do what it knows best which is business. The dialogue between the private community and the government is very important and we have been having sessions with the business community to find out how best to go about the democratic transition” he said.

He noted that the security situation needs to be addressed more vigorously because it is important that the citizens and the business community are safe, adding that, the state is setting up an arbitration centre to give additional comfort to investors and the citizens of the state.

The Governor of Ogun state, Ibikunle Amosu, who was represented by the Commissioner for commerce and industry, Bimbo Ashiru, said, investors must trust government and government must trust investors especially during this democratic transition, adding that, currently, the state is among the top ten in the area of investment as over $10 million is being currently invested in Ogun state.

“We have been able to provide security and good infrastructure, Ogun is like a construction yard because each day construction is going on in the state. For any investor to see heaven, you must be ready to be involved in CSR because you need the community’s opinion on what they want not building a health center when they need adequate water” he said.