President Bola Tinubu said that before he took up the presidency, the steps needed to curb Nigeria’s security challenges had already been mapped.
According to him, achieving security and peace requires addressing the historical injustice that has torn communities apart.
Tinubu made this known in Kastina at the North West Peace and Security Summit, tagged “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 eliminated from the country.
He mentioned that the country had begun to take on a new shape in security as the strategies adopted by the security forces, including the rules of engagement employed, were beginning to yield results.
In line with President Tinubu’s statement, the Nigerian Army yesterday said the multifaceted security challenges confronting the country were local 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), took place at the Government House, Katsina.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who was representing President Tinubu at the two-day event, declared that “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 Northwest 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.”
He stated that the necessary steps needed to fight against security challenges inherited by his administration were mapped out even before he embarked on his administration’s journey, noting that to maintain peace and stability in the country, the historical antecedents of injustice must be tackled.
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.”
Tinubu stated that peace and security summits are 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 are optimal.”
Tinubu said his administration has provided a pragmatic solution to security challenges in the North-west by adopting 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.”
