President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has solicited for support from the United Nations in the country’s fight against terrorism.
Tinubu, who made the request on Friday when he played host to the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, lamented the fact that terrorism and insurgency had continued to ravage Nigeria with its attendant reversal on the gains of development and increased instability in families and communities, especially in the Northern region which had become the epicenter for years.
While addressing the UN Under-Secretary, Tinubu said Nigeria would not be able to win the war against terrorism without the active support of the global body.
“We appreciate all that you have been doing. We know that in the face of many demands and challenges, you can still do much better,” he said.
“We can score you ‘A’ in collaboration but ‘B’ in physical support. You have to do more because terrorism is an effective danger to democracy; terrorism is also an effective danger to development.
“Growth and prosperity cannot be achieved until we banish terrorism. We have to equally look at other sides of the issue, and I have said it is the where, how, and when of terrorism.
“We must take into account the basic needs of our people. If out of the meagre resources presently available, we have to dip our hands without the steady support from organisations like the UN, then we are in trouble,” President Tinubu emphasized.
In his remarks, the UN Under-Secretary-General promised the agency’s support for Nigeria, noting that the country already had a framework on prevention, mitigation, and reconciliation, commending the efforts taken so far in tackling terrorism.
“Of course, terrorism is part of the international agenda, and we had a successful meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussing how to enrich our agenda on international terrorism response.
“I can only mention that politically, and from the point of view of capacity building on activities for counter terrorism, Nigeria is one of the leading partners”, he said.
He added that the UN was planning to host a Counter-Terrorism Summit in Abuja slated for April 2024, and it would be largely driven by African nations with an African agenda.