The Nigerian Armed Forces has stated that it could effectively deal with the ongoing security challenges in Nigeria without foreign assistance.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, represented by the Director of Planning at the Army Headquarters, Brig-General Ismaila Abdallah, disclosed this in an interview with PUNCH Newspaper in Abuja after a public lecture organised by Peace Corps of Nigeria to mark the United Nations International Day of Peace with the theme: ‘Sustainable peace for a sustainable future: The potency of dialogue and integrated negotiation.’
According to him, the military is involved in finding a lasting solution to the security challenges in the country he said, “We don’t need any foreign partner to help us solve our problems.”
We can handle our problems ourselves; we are competent to do it. The crisis we are having is a passing phase in our history, so we don’t need to go out and invite anybody to come and solve our problems, with the involvement of the military we are capable of solving our problems.”
Earlier in his speech, the guest lecturer and Head, Department of Political Science, University of Abuja, Prof. Solomon Ogbu, said the use of force was not the solution to attaining lasting peace.
He said, “We can’t use force to achieve peace, government is getting it all wrong. It has to be on the negotiation table where contending issues are put on the table.”
Ogbu said the role of the traditional rulers in achieving peace in Nigeria was necessary even though western liberal democracies have ignored the role of the traditional rulers.
He said the international organisations have played their role in intervening in the ugly situation but that it was best solved internally.
In his speech, the National Commandant of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, Dr. Dickson Akoh, said “since Nigeria is a society with diverse ethno-religious groups and varied interests, basic tolerance of condoning peoples’ values and belief systems is required.”
He said the constitutional review process in Nigeria would provide Nigerians the “much needed opportunity to rewrite the history of the country and provide the way for amending all the unnecessary and anti-people provisions that portends danger to the unity, sustainability and development of the country.”
Awards of peace were presented to a former Governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero; Senator Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan; Senator Hope Uzodinma; George Sekibo; Senator Ali Ndume; Jafere Alkali Abdulkadir and the chairman of ADACHRIS Petroleum, Aisha Audu.
PUNCH
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com