Blinken: Nigeria Facing Extraordinary Security Challenges

*Pledges US’ support

By Michael Olugbode

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Nigeria is facing extra-ordinary security challenges, but has an ally in United States who is equally addressing the situation with her.

Blinken, who was at a virtual roundtable with some selected journalists from Nigeria and Kenya after an equally virtual visit to both countries where he spoke to the two presidents, Muhammadu Buhari and Uhuru Kenyatta respectively, said he discussed the security situation of Nigeria with the Nigerian President and some other top government officials.

While answering a question from one of the Nigerian journalists, Blinken said: “I think it is fair to say that the challenges that Nigeria faces when it comes to security are quite extraordinary – and you referenced them – whether it’s terrorism, whether it’s banditry and criminality, whether it’s piracy. All of these are real challenges.

“The good news is this: One, we are in absolute solidarity between us in trying to address these challenges together. And the United States is committed to supporting Nigeria as it meets these challenges. And what that involves primarily is helping Nigeria continue to build its capacity through training, through resources, through information sharing, through equipment, and all of that done, very importantly, with full respect for human rights.”

He added that: “But it’s also important that we work together, as we are, to address some of the drivers or facilitators of violence and instability that we know those engaged in these activities can sometimes feed on. And that’s why you have to have a comprehensive approach to these challenges. It’s not – the security piece is vitally important, but it’s insufficient, and so economic development, progress, opportunity is hugely important.”

He revealed that they were also dealing with some of the other drivers that sometimes produce conflict, violence, and extremism, noting that one of the things that’s striking is the Lake Chad basin, which they have seen over the time to have been caused by the erosion of the basin, including because of climate change, which could have produced conflict over resources, new migratory patterns that put people in conflict, food insecurity, the more easy spread of disease, “all of which can produce an environment in which terrorism, criminality, other forms of violence are more likely.”

Noting that it is vital that these should be addressed, the top US diplomat said, “it’s also why it was so important to have President Buhari as well as President Kenyatta from Kenya take part in the Climate Summit that President Biden convened last week, which was a very powerful manifestation of the broad international commitment to address the challenges posed by climate change, which in turn, as we do it, I think will address some of the drivers we’ve seen of conflict which in turn can feed extremism.”

He said: “So it’s a long way of saying I think we have to see the big picture, the comprehensive picture – obviously focus on the hard security collaboration that we have and strengthen that, but also not lose sight of some of the bigger pieces of this that we have to address together as well.”