Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said, “The time has come for UN member states to show by their actions that they mean what they say about preventing terrorist financing, economic sabotage, illegal mining and arms trafficking in the developing world.”
In his speech at the 78th UN General Assembly in New York, Tinubu emphasized the importance of security and protection of mining areas in Africa.
Pointing out that one of the important dimensions of global trust and solidarity is to protect the continent’s mining regions from theft and conflict, Tinubu said, “It is time for UN member states to show with their actions that they mean what they say about preventing terrorist financing, economic sabotage, illegal mining and arms trafficking in the developing world.”
Tinubu noted that many mining regions in Africa have become “graveyards of misery and exploitation” and that the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered from this situation for decades despite the strong presence of the UN there.
President Tinubu said the world economy today owes much to the DRC but gives little to it.
Foreign entities, backed by local criminals who want to become petty warlords, have driven thousands of Africans into slavery to illegally extract gold and other resources, he said, adding: “Billions of dollars spent on the development of a country are now feeding countless violent enterprises. Left unchecked, they will threaten peace and put national security at serious risk.”
Tinubu also said that economic development diplomacy for new investments has been effective in showing Nigeria as a country ready to do business.