FG, UNDP, Japan join force to tackle insecurity in N/East, S/South regions

The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Army, the United Nations Development Programme and Japan have agreed to unite against the current state of insecurity in most parts of the country. Specifically of interest is the current state of insecurity in the North East,North Central and South South regions. Of worries to the group is the […]

The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Army, the United Nations Development Programme and Japan have agreed to unite against the current state of insecurity in most parts of the country.

Specifically of interest is the current state of insecurity in the North East,North Central and South South regions.

Of worries to the group is the persistent and growing strength of violent extremist organizations in the Sahel and that if allowed to go unchecked will threaten to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and spread instability across Nigeria and other nations in the sub region and thereby posing significant security and financial risks to ECOWAS and by extension the African Union (AU).

To ensure that the alliance work, they have also included six other Africa countries in an ongoing two weeks training, which kicked off on Monday at the Nigerian Army School of Finance and Administration, in Lagos. The training is in collaboration with the Martin Luther Agwai International Peace Keeping Centre (MLAPKC).

The training is to address violent extremism in the West Africa sub region.

Addressing the participants, the special guest of honour, Maj-Gen Wisdom Etuk, noted that the collaborative effort by the Martin Luther Agwai International Peace Keeping Centre ( MLAILPKC ) and the Government of Japan through the UNDP in sponsoring Project 2024 is worthy of commendation and should be sustained.

General Etuk stated that the collaborative effort serves as a stark reminder that only through collective and collaborative action that one can address the root causes of violent extremism and promote peace, justices and human dignity.

“Violent Extremism has continue to threatens global peace, security and human dignity. It exploits fear, ignorance and desperation, leaving destruction and heartbreak in its wake. Therefore to defeat this threat, there’s need for concerted efforts through capacity building such as this course.

“the UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to prevent Violent Extremism emphasizes the need for a comprehensive approach that encompasses not only security based counter-terrorism measures but also systematic preventive steps to address the underlying conditions that drive individuals to radicalize and join violent extremist groups. Hence this course could not have come at better time than now as it resonate with the UN Planned Action for Countering Violent Extremism” he stated.

In his opening Remark Delivered by the UNDP team lead, Governance, Peace & Security Mr. Matthew Alao, at the Inauguration Ceremony of the Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) Course 5/2024, at the Nigerian Army School of Finance and Administration, in Lagos, on Monday stated that the commencement of the Counter Violent Extremism Course is a testament of the resolve to address one of the most pressing contemporary challenges facing humanity.

Alao stated that the importance of tackling the trend accounts for why participants are drawn from six ECOWAS countries.

He said It is not debatable that violent extremism poses significant threats to the peace, stability and sustainable development of ECOWAS sub-region especially in Nigeria.

He noted that the challenges of the menace constitute to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) and Agenda 2030 in the sub-region are enormous and that as such, the response of all must be pungent, swift, borderless and unified.

“The tripartite partnership of MLAILPKC, Government of Japan and UNDP to counter violent extremism is complementing wider national, regional and continental counter terrorism strategies and frameworks.

“These include the ECOWAS counter-terrorism strategy and African Union Counter Terrorism Framework, as well as Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Strategy and Terrorism Prevention Act, which aim to confront the menace bluntly and mitigate the impact of violent extremism on the continent” he added.

Also speaking, the Japanese Defence Attaché in Nigeria, Lieutenant Colonel MORITA Tatsuya, disclosed that over the years, the Japanese Government, had consistently shown its commitment to supporting essential training for African-led peace support operations and capacity building in Africa.

He said Japan recognizes the significant role of African-led Peace Support Operations in maintaining peace and stability in Africa.

“In Nigeria, we have been supporting the Peacekeeping Operation (PKO) training in partnership with the UNDP and PKO training centres for the past 6 years, including this one.

“Over the years, since the first Defence Attaché was attached to our Embassy in 2015, the friendship between Japan and Nigeria in the area of defence has been strengthened. Although direct defence cooperation between Japan and Nigeria is yet to be realised, wwould like to work towards a stronger partnership” he added.

On his part, the special guest of honour, Maj-Gen Wisdom Etuk, stated that the collaborative effort by MLAILPKC and the Government of Japan through the UNDP in sponsoring Project 2024 which entails 3 courses (the Leadership and National Cohesion, Comprehensive Protection of Civilians and Countering Violent Extremism) is worthy of commendation and should be sustained.

He said the collaborative effort serves as a stark reminder that only through collective and collaborative action that one can address the root causes of violent extremism and promote peace, justices and human dignity.

“Violent Extremism has continue to threatens global peace, security and human dignity. It exploits fear, ignorance and desperation, leaving destruction and heartbreak in its wake. Therefore to defeat this threat, there’s need for concerted efforts through capacity building such as this course” he said.