***Urges Nigeria to turn resource wealth into jobs, industries, prosperity
Senator Neda Bernards Imasuen has challenged world leaders to rethink global trade arrangements that allow resource-rich countries to export raw materials while importing finished products at higher prices.
He argued that international trade must promote fairness, create jobs and protect human dignity rather than deepen economic inequalities.
Imasuen made the call while addressing the Golden Rule Summit in Rome, Italy, held from October 19 to 22, 2026.
He maintained that the principle of treating others as one would wish to be treated should guide not only personal relationships but also international commerce and economic policymaking.
Using Nigeria’s cocoa industry to illustrate his concerns, the Edo South senator questioned why the country exports cocoa beans but imports processed products, including chocolate, at significantly higher prices.
“Should that same principle not apply to how nations conduct business with one another?” he asked.
Imasuen said expanding local processing would enable Nigeria to retain more value from its agricultural resources, create jobs and stimulate economic growth.
He challenged policymakers to consider the benefits of establishing industries in producing communities, asking how a chocolate factory in Osun or Edo State could transform local livelihoods.
According to him, stronger domestic manufacturing could expand employment opportunities and help address economic pressures contributing to irregular migration and human trafficking.
The senator, however, cautioned against blaming Nigeria’s economic difficulties solely on international trade, stressing that domestic leadership must also take responsibility for building a productive economy.
He cited the student loan scheme, tax reforms and the Dangote Refinery as examples of initiatives and investments associated with educational access, business support and increased domestic production.
Imasuen called for stronger cooperation between government and the private sector to develop industries, support small and medium-sized enterprises and ensure that economic growth benefits ordinary Nigerians.
He also emphasised skills development and job creation as important measures for reducing the vulnerabilities that expose people to exploitation and human trafficking.
Drawing on the Golden Rule and Rotary International’s Four-Way Test, Imasuen urged governments to ensure that their decisions are truthful, fair, beneficial and capable of promoting goodwill.
The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, said human dignity must remain central to domestic governance and international economic relations.
“If we would not accept inequality for our own communities, why should we accept it as an enduring feature of the global economic order?” he asked.
He challenged world leaders to reconsider trade arrangements that leave resource-rich countries struggling to translate their natural wealth into industrial growth, employment and widespread prosperity.
For Nigeria, he argued, the priority should be to expand local manufacturing, create jobs and retain more value from its resources while pursuing international partnerships that deliver shared economic benefits.
