Tinubu: We Can’t Achieve Security, Peace Without Dealing with Historical Injustices

•Declares his government won’t slow down until Nigeria is completely safe

•Says current security strategies already yielding results 

•Army seeks local solutions to terrorism, insurgency 

•To celebrate 161 years of existence

Deji Elumoye and Ikechukwu Aleke in Abuja 

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, said though steps taken to combat Nigeria’s security challenges had been mapped out before he took up the presidency, achieving security and peace required that historical injustices that had torn communities apart were first fully addressed.

Tinubu spoke in Katsina when he declared open the North West Peace and Security Summit, with the theme, “Regional Cooperation for Securing Lives and Livelihoods in North West Nigeria.”

The president assured that his administration would not rest until banditry, terrorism, and other forms of insecurity were completely eliminated from the country.

He said the country had already begun to witness a turning point in security, as the strategies adopted by the security forces, including rules of engagement employed, were beginning to yield result.

Relatedly, the Nigerian Army, yesterday, said the multifaceted security challenges confronting the country were local in nature and required local solutions to effectively bring them to an end.

The North West Peace and Security Summit,

organised by the North West Governors’ Forum, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was held at Government House, Katsina.

Tinubu, who was represented at the two-day event by Vice President Kashim Shettima, declared, “What we are witnessing across the North is an explosion of these damaged relationships, and we have come to say, enough is enough.

“Our first decision was to task our brothers from the North-west and the North-east with the defence and security of the region. Who else can better understand the complexity of the crisis of a region than the people themselves?

“This has been a turning point, and I am proud to share that the strategies we have employed have begun to provide redemption. We are not slowing down until we achieve our aim.”

Tinubu described the summit as a communal gathering to address “the afflictions that have threatened the stability and unity” of the North.

According to him, “Beyond the economic rationale that drove the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria, the formation of our great nation was inspired by the need for mutual protection. But, I ask, how can we achieve this sacred objective if one part is afflicted?

“We have long established that whatever ails any part of this federation destabilises the other. So, the issue of national security in the North-west is not a sectional agenda. We promised to make Nigeria safer, and this aim has been our topmost priority since we came to office over a year ago.”

Stating that the bold steps taken to combat the security challenges his administration inherited were mapped out even before embarking on the journey, Tinubu observed that achieving security and peace would require that the historical injustices that had torn communities in Nigeria apart were fully addressed.

He said, “We must also reverse the institutional frailties governing security and the economic dysfunctions that create vulnerabilities to crime. We must also counter the ideological mischief that has pervaded the discourse of peace and security in the region.”

The president stated that the peace and security summit became necessary to proffer solutions to insecurity and ensure a region, “Where every trade is safe, where every group is at peace, and where the policing and military presence of the state is optimal.”

In order to come up with pragmatic solutions to the security challenges in the North-west, Tinubu said his administration adopted kinetic and non-kinetic interventions designed to build the perimeters of the country’s security infrastructure.

He mentioned the Pulaku resettlement initiative as one of the non-kinetic interventions rolled out by the administration. He said it was a timely solution to address some of the root causes of disputes and insecurity in the North-west.

According to him, “Our choice of Sokoto, Kebbi, Benue, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, and Kaduna states for the pilot phase is strategically planned to create positive, nationwide transformations.

“The comprehensive plan includes building residences, roads, schools, and essential facilities, fulfilling our pledge to the nation.

“This effort symbolises our commitment to sustainable development and a unified, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria, transforming our diversity into strength. Today, I believe we are going to continue comparing our ideas and thoughts to not only review our strategies and improve upon them, to make the states in the North-west stable and peaceful parts of the nation, but to assure ourselves that we cannot achieve the triumph we desire without any part of the nation being secure.”

Addressing the topic, “Securing Stability: Uniting for Peace in North-west Nigeria,” Shettima, in a release by his media assistant, Stanley Nkwocha, explained why Northern Nigeria was always considered globally as one unified people, saying the region’s unity is firmly “rooted in a culture and bond of shared interests and common pursuits”.

Earlier, the Katsina State Governor Umaru Radda lamented that banditry in the state and other parts of the North-west, including Niger State, had cast shadows on most of the communities, crippling social economic activities in the areas.

Radda, who is Chairman of the North West Governors’ Forum, stated that the forum would not allow the menace of banditry to defile the region.

He said, “As leaders, we must adopt a multifaceted approach that includes robust intelligence gathering, community policing and deploying advanced security technology.

“Furthermore, to enhance the capacity of our national security forces, we will continue to improve it and provide adequate resources. To effectively combat banditry, we need to strengthen intelligence gathering networks.

“This means improving our surveillance system, investing in modern technology, such as drones and satellite imagery, and enhancing coordination among our security agencies. We must establish the most efficient communication to ensure timely response to threats.”

Radda thanked Tinubu for the efforts in tackling banditry in the North-west and other parts of the country, and also saluted the efforts of the security agencies.

Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, said the Armed Forces of Nigeria, under the current administration, were committed to ending armed conflicts in the country.

Badaru stressed the need for synergy between security agencies and governors, adding that the government is open for collaboration. He said in the days ahead, the federal government would meet with the governors to deliberate on the outcome of the summit.

On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, said the traditional institutions were always willing to cooperate with the federal and state governors to tackle the security challenges.

The royal father called on the citizens and communities to join hands with the government and security agencies in to combate insecurity in the country.

Germany’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, who was represented at the security summit, congratulated the federal and state governments for organising the conference.

Günther assured of the German government’s support for Nigeria in the fight against insecurity, just as she emphasised the need to reactivate traditional solutions to the conflict in the North-west.

UNDP Country Representative in Nigeria, Elsie Attafuah, called for investment in the youth with a view to channelling their potential towards profitable ventures. Attafuah emphasised the importance of regional cooperation.

The summit was also attended by the immediate past President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, as well as Governors Umar Namadi of Jigawa State, Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, and deputy governors of Kaduna, Kebbi and Kano states.

Federal lawmakers from the region were also in attendance.

Army Seeks Local Solutions to end Terrorism, Insurgency

The Nigerian Army said the multidimensional security challenges confronting Nigeria were local in nature and, therefore, required local solutions. Director-General, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Maj. Gen. Garba Wahab (rtd), said this in Abuja, at the opening of a roundtable on asymmetric security challenges in Nigeria.

The discussion had the theme, “Asymmetrical National Security Challenges, the Army and National Development.”

Wahab said citizens, and not foreigners, would evolve strategies and practical solutions to end the security threats plaguing the country.

He stated, “Anywhere in the world where there is a crisis, the problem is often internally created. So, the solutions would also start by resolving the factors that triggered the problems. Nobody would come from outside to solve our problem for us.

“Our culture, tradition and way of life differs, and we must put all these things into consideration. The security agencies are Nigerian owned and that is the essence of this discussion, for us to believe in our security agencies to enable them perform, so that we can solve our problems ourselves.”

Declaring the event open, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, said the Nigerian Army and other services were working hard to guarantee peace and security that Nigerians yearned for.

Lagbaja appealed to Nigerians to continue to support the Nigerian Army with intelligence and information that would grant advantage to the troops in order for them to be effective in combating the enemies of the state.

He stated that the army would work in line with the constitutional provisions to combat all enemies of the state and bring about the much-desired peace and stability across the country.

The army chief said asymmetric threats connoted different meanings to different people and that was why the army was open to ideas and opinions from all segments of the society. This, he said, informed the roundtable that was put together by the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, in collaboration with Development Specs Academy, which the army was actively supporting.

He also promised to implement the recommendations that would come out of the discussion.

Earlier, Executive Director, Development Specs Academy, Professor Okey Ikechukwu, said the roundtable was put together to evolve local solutions that would work for the country.

Ikechukwu decried situations where citizens shielded criminal elements and helped them to procure arms to fight the state, rather than give intelligence to the military and other security agencies to dismantle the criminal empire in the country.

He also said the deployment of troops outside their areas of core training amounted to demobilisation and underutilisation of their full potential.

Meanwhile, the army announced plans to commemorate its 161 years’ anniversary on July 6, 2024, in Jos, the Plateau State capital. Lagbaja, who announced this in a press briefing to herald activities lined up for the Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2024, also said the army ranked very high in Global Firepower Index, 2024.

Represented by Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Maj Gen AB Ibrahim, the army chief said NADCEL 2024 would be a celebration of one of the greatest armies in the world whose eventful history spans 161 years.

According to him, the history dates back to 1863, when Lieutenant Glover of the Royal Navy organised 18 indigenes of Northern Nigeria into a local force known as the “Glover Hausas”.

This local force, he said, went through several stages of growth and development, evolving to the present Nigerian Army.

Lagbaja stated, “Over the years, the Nigerian Army has played crucial roles in the defence of our country and the maintenance of peace and security.

“Therefore, the Nigerian Army Day Celebration provides an opportunity to celebrate the brave men and women, who have served and continue to serve in our Army.”