A group of lawyers in Nigeria is deeply concerned about the economic impact of ongoing insecurity in the southeast region of the country. The Otu Oka Iwu lawyers group held a press conference in Lagos to decry the dramatic slowdown in business and economic activity in the South East.
According to the group’s president, Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu, formerly President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), the inability of people to move freely due to insecurity has stifled the local economy. He called on state and federal governments to make addressing the insecurity in southeast Nigeria an urgent priority.
“We have no other country to call our own. For that reason, we strongly urge the Federal and State Governments to quickly tackle insecurity in the Southeast, as this has severely damaged economic and business activities by restricting people’s movements,” said Unegbu. “This is a critical issue impacting the entire country, as nowhere feels truly safe today.”
Unegbu lamented the demise of the formerly vibrant economic hubs in cities like Onitsha, Nnewi, Aba, and Orlu. He urged government and community leaders to work together to restore security so that economic activity can flourish again, providing jobs and opportunities for local youth.
“We must return to our roots of entrepreneurship, hard work, and community in the South East to revive its economy,” said Unegbu. “By urgently addressing insecurity, we can bring back prosperity to the region.”
The lawyers’ group stressed that stabilising security and the economy in southeast Nigeria would benefit the entire country. They called for collaborative action across federal, state, and local entities to tackle this critical priority.