Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal
By Onwuka Nzeshi
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, Monday assured foreign investors that the security challenges facing Nigeria would not pose a threat to Direct Foreign Investments (DFIs) in the country.
Tambuwal stated this Monday when he addressed members of the Japanese Parliament in Tokyo.
He said the Federal Government had taken pro- active measures in the past two years to boost security, adding that Nigeria remained a safe haven for investment in Africa.
A statement from the Speaker’s media office in Abuja, quoted Tambuwal as saying the government had injected more funds into training of security personnel, as well as in the procurement of modern security gadgets.
“For instance, he informed Mr Takahiro Yokomichi, Speaker of the Japan House of Representatives and Mr. Kenji Hirata, President of the House of Councillors, similar to the Senate, that a large chunk of the 2012 budget was voted for security.
“In order to demonstrate government’s commitments to tackle the menace, the sector would also be accorded priority in the allocation of resources in the next year budget, which is now before the National Assembly,” Tambuwal said.
The Japanese parliamentarians had sought to know the state of insecurity in Nigeria as no investors will want to invest in an unsecured environment where terrorism reigns.
“It is true that terrorism is one of the security challenges facing Nigeria, but I can assure you that our government is doing everything possible to tackle the challenges. In 2012, we devoted a large chunk of our national budget to security.
“In addition, the Parliament is giving more powers to the security operatives to tackle terrorism by amending the laws to strengthen them,” he said.
“More importantly, the people are co-operating with government by assisting our security with useful information. As a people and government, we are rising to the challenge,” Tambuwal said.
He stated that government was aware that an unsecured business environment will not attract investors, hence the commitments by the people and government of Nigeria to face the challenge headlong, even though terrorism has become a global phenomenon.
Tambuwal, who commended some Japanese firms for doing business in Nigeria, said that there are opportunities in other sectors like oil and gas, solid minerals, real estate and solar energy.
He invited the Japanese parliament to be part of history of establishing an e-parliament in Nigeria and in the training of parliamentary staffs.
Mr Yokomichi thanked the people and government of Nigeria for the support given to Japan when it was hit by a devastating earthquake sometimes last year.
The Speaker and his delegation of 12 members and the Nigerian Ambassador to Japan, Ambassador Agbo were later taken round the Parliament Buildings built in 1936.
Japan Parliament has 242 Councillors (Senators) and 480 members in the House of Representatives.