2023 ECONOMIC FORUM... LCCI LOPSIDED INVITATION, QUESTIONABLE

 2023 ECONOMIC FORUM... LCCI LOPSIDED INVITATION, QUESTIONABLE

By: Oriaifoh Godwins

The upcoming (2022 Edition) of Private Sector Economic Forum that is being organized by the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, scheduled to hold in Lagos from today, September 14, 2022, at it's corporate headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos, where just a few of the Presidential candidates were invited to deliver speeches, calls for serious questioning.

If we, as Nigerians are guided by the fact that the mandate of LCCI is to always provide a platform for public office seekers to present their plans for private sector development in Nigeria, one will now be left in doubt and begin to ask salient questions with respect to why just an insignificant number (3) of the Presidential candidates (18) for the 2023 election were invited to make their presentations on their plans with respect to how the Economy should be 'driven'.

With respect to the aforementioned action of LCCI, one may begin to wonder what they are trying to communicate to Nigerians, what do the LCCI know, that several Millions of Nigerians do not know? Has plans been perfected by some power brokers to scheme 15 Presidential candidates out of the election?  Many questions comes to mind, and these questions, Nigerians are asking.

With the invitation of just three, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, out of the eighteen Presidential candidates, many Nigerians are beginning to read sour meanings to this 'handwriting on the wall'. This LCCI invitation, has created an uneven playing ground for the eighteen Political parties, as some are seen as being preferred to the other.

The concern being espressed by the other Presidential candidates of the other parties, including AA, AAC, ACCORD,ADC, ADP, APGA, APM, APP,BP,NNPP,NRM,PRP,SDP,YPP and ZLP who are equally in the 2023 Presidential race, is an issue that must not be taken with levity, as it will be very difficult for LCCI to wash itself clean of any wrong doing if this grave error is not corrected, especially now that it is not too late to correct it.

More questions comes from the fact that, this is not the first time that LCCI is organising such Economic Forum, especially during a buildup period to Presidential election; but in the past, all the Presidential candidates are always given equal opportunity and are all invited....so, what has changed this time around?

At this time, when Nigeria is struggling with uniting the country hence foster peaceful coexistence, LCCI should not be seen as a knife that is attempting to tear the political parties/Presidential candidates apart.

LCCI should quickly make a redress so as to prevent some persons from rightly or wrongly reading meanings to this lopsided invitation.