The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, yesterday, called for a tripartite partnership between the federal government, the Nigerian private sector organisations and Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, for the nation to witness the desired rapid development.
Speaking at a meeting with Nigerian captains of industry in Abuja, the Un scribe said that good governance and good government policy would make no meaning if the privates business owners failed to work with the public sector.
“While the government has the primary responsibility towards providing an environment for peace, justice and sustainable development, businesses and philanthropists also have a critical role. That is why we are meeting.
“In my eight and half years as a secretary general, I have learnt the most important lesson, this is inclusive global partnership. Partnership among governments, business community, private sector and civil society organizations.
“Without this tripartite partnership, however good the vision or policy of government will be, it can’t be realized. No country and no institution can solve the challenges on its own. We must harness the power of the private sector and civil society for shared solutions to complex challenges.
“We need to build an inclusive global partnership with a view to accountability and fair share of responsibilities. We must combine our strength, capacities and resources to achieve meaningful result. For this sustainability, development goals provide a platform for aligning shared actions for common good. We are everyone’s business everywhere.
“Good governance and good policies by the government combined with active global partnership with the private partnership provide the passport for success,” the UN Scribe stated.
President of the Dangote Group, Alh. Aliko Dangote, at the occasion assured that the organized private sector had been playing various roles in the effort towards developing an economy that would comfortably support the Nigerian citizenry and become a global player.
“There has been a well-nurtured collaboration between the federal government and the business community in Nigeria and that works were on-going to strengthen that relationship.
“Many operators in the sector were not only working for profiting but had been giving back to society by investing in the social sector with a view to ensuring a rapid socio-economic development of the country and would continue in that regard,” he stated.
Earlier, Mr. Ki-Moon was at the UN Country Office in Abuja where he laid a wreath in honour of the 13 staff of the organization who were killed by the suicide bomber that rammed an explosives-laden car into the building on August 26, 2011.
He commended the courage of the survivors and their resolve to continue in the business of making the world a better place for all global citizens, in spite of the attack and urged them not to be deterred.
The UN boss who expressed appreciation at the federal government assistance to re-build the office urged global collaboration against terrorism and that all hands must on deck to ensure that the world became a place “where no one is left behind.”
