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Christopher Musa, General and Chief of Defence Staff, on Thursday, stated that Nigeria is collaborating with the Military in Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and Mali to strengthen the fight against transnational security threats in the sub-region.
While speaking at the University of Ibadan on “global fragility and security management in Nigeria”, the Chief of Defence Staff said “politically the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso may have exited but militarily we still work together because we understand that we must work together and collaborate to protect one another And politically, we must reach out to them because if we don’t help them to stand strong, the effect will come on us.”
While saying that the nature of interconnected nations has made it imperative to collaborate and strengthen partnerships beyond our borders identified porous borders as one of the problems contributing to insecurity in the country.
Calling on Nigeria to fence strategic border areas to enhance security management and reduce vulnerability, Musa noted that fencing of Borders to enhance security must be intentional, adding that Nigeria needs to learn from Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan who have executed strategic fencing of their borders, which has enhanced security management.
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Musa, who delivered the maiden Distinguished personality lecture of the TETFUND Centre of Excellence in Security Management, University of Ibadan, also emphasised the need to allow Local Government Administration to work optimally in Nigeria, noting that since crimes and criminality are localised, a functional Local Government Administration would reduce threats of insecurity.
“If local governments are working in the country, it will reduce the level of insecurity in the country. Because crimes and criminality are localized and each local government chairman can begin to take care of their own security because they know those who are criminals”, he noted.
He also stressed the need for Nigeria to be deliberate by having comprehensive data base for those who are Nigerians in order to improve security management in Nigeria.
Youth empowerment, reducing unemployment and poverty as well as entrenching affordable education, he pointed out , would assist youth resilience against going into criminality.
Tukur Buratai, retired Lieutenant General and Former Chief of Army Staff said that the problems of insecurity facing Nigeria were “exacerbated by governance deficits, including weak institutions, corruption and lack of accountability.”
Buratai, who was Chairman of the occasion and represented by Lieutenant General Lamidi Adeosun, noted that to ensure effective security management “a multifaceted approach encompassing governance reforms, security sector improvements and strategic interventions to address the root causes of conflict and promote sustainable peace as well as socioeconomic development initiatives.
“It is also important to strengthen our border security through innovative solutions and trained personnel to control the flow of illicit goods across and to prevent the proliferation of weapons aiming to destabilise national security”.
Kayode Adebowale, Professor and the Vice-Chancellor University of Ibadan, in his speech, noted that “Our world grapples with interconnected crises – climate induced displacement, transnational terrorism, economic inequality and geopolitical tensions – that amplify vulnerabilities is fragile states”.
He pledged that the University of Ibadan would continue to support security management through security research conducted by researchers within the University to support security sector policy formulations.
Benjamin Aluko, the Acting Director of the TETFUND Centre of Excellence in Security Management, further stated that the center will deploy all the weapons in “our intellectual arsenal to support you in achieving your mandate while trusting God to use you to strengthen our capacity to effectively deliver on the vision and mission of the center”.
