‘Why global community is cautious over Nigeria

An indication as to why there has been a slow intervention from the international community in Nigeria’s polity and economy emerged at the weekend when the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), explained the reasons for caution by foreign interests.

JICA Chief Representative, Mr. Hirotaka Nakamura, told an audience at the JICA Alumni Association of Nigeria (JAAN) Annual Day Celebration, in Abuja at the weekend: “Last year 2015 was the key year for Nigeria. The new President, Mohammadu Buhari, was elected last May and his new ship set out for its journey. And many of us are still carefully watching in which direction it would move forward, realizing the challenges such as downside of crude oil price, decreasing foreign currency reserves, on again off again insurgencies in the country especially North East areas.”

He disclosed that JICA recognized the huge needs in the North Eastern flank of the country, but having a “limitation of activities,” he called on the agency’s ex-participants to play a key role in “continuing the reconstruction of the area.”

JAAN, he revealed, is an association of persons who had participated in JICA’s Knowledge Co-Creation Programme, formerly called Training and Dialogue Programmes in Japan the priorities of which are improvement of core infrastructure in power and transport sectors, and social development, especially in the urban areas.
They include improvement of health services, water supply, waste management, agriculture, and private sector development.