Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has vowed his government will not rest until the persistent insecurity challenge in the country is defeated. The president made the vow at the ongoing 2-day security summit in Katsina.
The summit titled “Regional Cooperation for Securing Lives and Livelihoods in North-West Nigeria” and organized by the North-West Governor’s Forum in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at was declared open by the president who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In his address titled “Securing Stability: Uniting for Peace in North-West Nigeria,” the president, through his deputy, explained that the people of Northern Nigeria are considered as unified because, according to him, the region is “rooted in a culture and bond of shared interests and common pursuits”.
The President praised the summit and expressed hope it will help stir the leaders to find solutions to “the afflictions that have threatened the stability and unity” of the North, “where every trade is safe, where every group is at peace, and where the policing and military presence of the state is optimal.”
“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,” he said.
The president also highlighted some of the initiatives and policy proposals of his administration to tackle insecurity, noting “this effort symbolizes 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.”
In his remarks, the host and chairman of the North-West governors’ forum, Governor Umar Dikko Radda of Katsina state lamented the recent attacks in his and other north-western states, urging quick, deliberate actions to prevent a more catastrophic escalation.
“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,” he said.
In attendance at the summit were former president Muhammadu Buhari; Governors Umar Namadi of Jigawa State, Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State as well as the Deputy Governors of Kaduna, Kebbi and Kano States as well as federal lawmakers from the region.
Others at the event include the Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, a representative of the German ambassador to Nigeria and other stakeholders.
