Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has
called for enhanced synergy and strategic security policy between Nigeria and
neighbouring countries in the war against terrorism and violent extremism in
Nigeria and neighboring countries.
Osinbajo made the call at the
Foreign Policy and National Security Conference with the theme, “Securing
Nigeria’s Strategic Neighbourhood” organised by the National Defence College
(NDC) on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that Nigeria’s
international obligations could be perceived to range from bilateral
commitments with its immediate neighbours and the fellow member states of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the continent as a whole.
Osinbajo, who was represented by
his Special Assistant on Policy and Research, Mr Chris Ngwodo, said those
commitments underpinned a foreign policy that was typically described as
”afrocentric.”
“About three decades ago, the
task of defining Nigeria’s strategic neighbourhood was a relatively easy one.
“We had in view our neighbours
with whom we share contiguous borders, then West Africa and then Africa.
“Nigeria tends to view the ECOWAS
region as its neighbourhood but has also retained strong relations with its
immediate neighbours.
“We would perceive threats to
national security through the lense of proximity as risks latent in the near
abroad such as the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea.
“This conception of our strategic
neighbourhood has long been the dominant paradigm,” he said.
Osinbajo said that there was a
clear link between transborder organised crime and various species of local
gangsterism.
He added that human trafficking
rings were driving irregular migration while the proliferation of Small Arms
and Light Weapons continues to fuel conflicts on Nigeria shores.
“In Nigeria, what began as a
local insurrection in the North-East has since metamorphosed into an insurgency
troubling three other countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon,” he said.
The Minister of Defence,
Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi (retired), said the theme of the conference was timely
in view of the real, imagined and emerging security realities confronting
Nigeria.
Magashi, who was represented by
the Director, Air Force, Mr Peter Utsu, said the conference had provided
another avenue for various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to
reflect on issues of defence and foreign policy that had direct bearing on the
national security.
He said that the event could not
have come at a better time in view of the evolving security threats within West
and Central Africa in particular and the continent at large.
According to him, these threats
are increasingly tasking the defence and security forces and constantly
demanding smart strategies for solution.
“You will agree with me that the
citizens are also curious and expectant that the government of the day will
rise to the challenge to sustain order, stability and economic development.
“It is therefore not surprising
that the pursuit of security has remained a cardinal principle of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration since inception on May 29, 2015.
“It is in recognition of the
interplay of domestic and international security dynamics that Mr President
embarked on shuttle diplomacy with our neighbouring states to solicit their
support at addressing diverse threats confronting the country,” he said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr
Geoffrey Onyeama, said that national diplomacy and defence were inseparable and
complementary in time of peace and war.
Onyeama, who was represented by
the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr Peter Egopija, called for
continuous collaboration between the ministry and NDC towards projecting and
promoting Nigeria’s foreign and defence policy objectives centred on stability
and development.
He expressed confidence that the
outcome of the conference would create strategic platform to generate the
desired ideas and solution to the security challenges confronting the nation.
In his welcome address, the
Commandant of NDC, Rear Adm. Markson Kadiri, said that the conference was a
continuation of three previous Roundtables on Foreign Policy and National
Security organised by the College since November 2017.
Kadiri said the decision to
sustain the conversations was borne from the realisation of the importance
which the government and its institutions have attached to the outcome
documents.
He said that the security
dynamics in Nigeria’s strategic neighbourhood defined in terms of her sphere of
interest had remained volatile in spite of dedicated measures adopted towards
fostering security and stability.
According to him, Nigeria is
continuously inundated with physical and human security challenges in
neighbouring countries that exert pressures on the Nation’s security interests.
“The incidences of terrorism and
insurgencies in the Lake Chad Basin area, the Sahel and even parts of North
Africa and the Maghreb have stimulated negative spill-over consequences on the
security and stability of Nigeria,” he said.
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