“Why Security Is An Economic Issue”; Lai Mohammed, Gbenga Daniel Share Candid Thoughts

“The two are inseparable,” who said what om securiry and economy at the 7th Freedom Online Yearly Lecture as Nigeria Targets Growth Beyond Oil

Lagos, Nigeria — NOP NIGERIA

Nigeria’s path to the 2027 elections will be defined by one central equation: no strong economy without security, and no lasting security without a strong economy. That was the resounding message on Thursday at the 7th Freedom Online Yearly Lecture held in Ikeja, Lagos.

Chaired by former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and headlined by Special Guest of Honour, Senator Gbenga Daniel, the lecture themed “2027 Elections: Economy, Security and Nigeria’s Future” drew captains of industry, media executives and policymakers to the Sheraton Hotel.

Opening the event, Lai Mohammed said Freedom Online had earned its place by keeping faith with “a simple but increasingly rare commitment: to inform without fear and to provoke thought without malice” for seven years. He described the theme as timely as the nation prepares for another critical transition.

In his preliminary remarks, Senator Gbenga Daniel set the tone with a blunt diagnosis. “Nigeria cannot have a strong economy without security, and it cannot have lasting security without a strong economy. The two are inseparable.”

Daniel pointed to encouraging GDP data, noting the economy grew by 4.43 per cent in Q2 2026, with agriculture and services showing improvement. But he warned that the true test is what Nigerians feel daily: “Can a young person find decent work? Can a farmer safely reach the farm? Can a small business survive the cost of power, transport and finance?”

He framed insecurity as a direct economic problem. When farmers are afraid to cultivate, food production suffers. When roads are unsafe, transport costs rise. When businesses spend excessively on protection, competitiveness declines. Citing that more than 7,800 people were reportedly abducted between July 2025 and June 2026, Daniel said the figure “is therefore not only a security statistic. It is also an economic warning.”

Lai Mohammed echoed the point, telling the audience that “security is the precondition for economic growth. No business thrives in an atmosphere of uncertainty, and no foreign or local investor deploys capital where safety cannot be guaranteed.” He added that political stability depends on economic inclusion, because employed young people make the political space less susceptible to manipulation and violence.

Both speakers agreed that 2027 must not be reduced to a contest for power. “The 2027 election must be viewed not merely as a contest for power, but as a commitment to continuity and nation-building,” Mohammed said. “Politics must never be allowed to override governance.”

Daniel argued Nigeria must move decisively “From Oil Wealth to Human Wealth.” While oil remains important, he noted the non-oil sector accounted for approximately 95.8 per cent of real GDP in Q2 2026, driven by agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, financial services, tourism, entertainment and the digital economy.

“Our task is to convert these sectors into productive jobs, higher incomes and better living standards,” Daniel said, stressing that young people need skills, capital, technology and an enabling society. “If we give our young people opportunity, they will build Nigeria. If we deny them opportunity, frustration will grow and social stability will suffer.”

On governance, Mohammed acknowledged the Federal Government is confronting difficult challenges in security and economic reform. “These are not challenges that can be solved overnight. They require consistency, patience, institutional strengthening and, above all, national cooperation.” He urged constructive engagement with efforts to stabilise the economy, attract investment and improve security.

The former minister also issued a charge to the media ahead of 2027. He said the press must be “robust without being reckless; critical without being destructive; patriotic without becoming partisan; and free without forgetting the enormous responsibility that comes with freedom.” He warned that sensationalism and fake news act as accelerants to instability during election season.

Daniel held up Lagos and Ogun states as proof of what is possible when enterprise meets infrastructure and opportunity. “They demonstrate that Nigerians are remarkably productive when given an enabling environment.” The national challenge, he said, is to extend that same confidence to entrepreneurs in Aba, Kano, Ibadan, Jos, Port Harcourt and Maiduguri.

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“The Nigeria we want tomorrow will be determined by the decisions we make today,” Daniel concluded. “If we secure our farms, we strengthen food security. If we secure our roads, we strengthen commerce. If we secure our communities, we attract investment. If we create jobs and invest in our young people, we strengthen social stability.”

Closing as Chairman, Lai Mohammed said the collective duty ahead of 2027 is “to strengthen the foundations already being laid, not merely to critique them.” He expressed optimism not because Nigeria’s problems are small, “but because our capacity is greater than our problems.” With the main lecture delivered by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Freedom Online platform set the stage for what promises to be a defining national conversation ahead of the next elections.

Reported by NOP NIGERIA from the 7th Freedom Online Yearly Lecture, Lagos