By Christiana Ekpa
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen has recommended a special African parliamentary forum to ensure natural resources are harnessed responsibly to serve and empower the Africa people.
Tajudeen made the recommendation on Wednesday at the opening of the 8th Conference of Network of African Parliamentarians for Defence and Security Committees (REPAM-CDS) in Abuja.
The conference is titled “Security Governace of Natural Resources in Africa: Parliamentarians Confronted with New International Security Dynamics.”
Tajudeen said that the parliamentary special forum will monitor regions with resource conflicts, collaborate with regional legislative bodies to collect data, recommend safeguards, and support community-led developmentinitiatives.
He said that the struggle for peace is also a struggle for responsible stewardship of Africa’s natural endowments.
According to him, illicit mining, opaque oil contracts and unregulated timber corridors generate revenue streams that arm insurgents, corrupt institutions and deny communities the dividends of growth.
“Where resource governance is weak, violence takes root; where it is transparent and accountable, prosperity and stability follow. Nigeria’s recent reforms illustrate the point.
“I recommend that our parliaments form a special forum to monitor regions with resource conflicts.
“Let us unite with unwavering resolve to strengthen our committees and harness our natural resources responsibly, ensuring they serve and empower our people,” he said.
Tajudeen called for a continent-wide agreement on digital sovereignty, to help countries protect their cyberspace and financial systems without infringing on civil rights.
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