Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday is seeking ` sub-regional
solutions to insecurity in the West African sub-region. He made the call at the
opening ceremony of a meeting of Heads of Immigration Service of Economic
Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) in Abuja.
Osinbajo who was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey
Onyeama said, “we have to find a sub-regional mechanism to solve insecurity in
the sub-region.’’
He said that since ECOWAS encourages free movement of persons and goods,
it was pertinent to look at the security challenges such freedom brings.
According to him: “Topical issues of today in the world is insecurity and
migration should not been seen as a negative phenomenon but should be
managed.’’
While advising the gathering to deliberate on the security challenges
linked with migration, the Acting President said ECOWAS should consider Nigeria’s
proposal to establish a migration academy.
He said the government has provided a land in Tuga, Kebbi State for the
project, which according to him, would train personnel to tackle security
challenges in the sub-region.
The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, charged participants to
fashion out modalities to strengthen capacity and synergy aimed at robust
intelligence gathering and sharing amongst member states.
Osinbajo also met the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) led by elder
statesmen, Chief Edwin Clark and King Alfred Diette -Spiff, in the
Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday.
The group arrived the villa few minutes to 6:00 pm and were immediately
ushered into the conference room, venue of the closed door meeting. .
In another development, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday debunked
the 2016 country report on terrorism released by the United States of America
(USA) Department of State, saying the report was not being objectively analysed
by the U.S. government.
Reacting to the report, Director, Defence Information (DDI), Maj. Gen
John Enenche said the USA does not publish this report with the objective of
causing restiveness among the populace, but to draw government’s attention to
areas that could be improved upon to tackle global terrorism.
He added that the report also commended the Nigerian government and the
military for actively cooperating with the U.S. and other international
partners to prevent further acts of terrorism in Nigeria against citizens of
U.S., third world countries, and Nigerians.
Enenche stated that the country reports on terrorism are submitted on
annual basis in compliance with title 22 of the United States Code, Section
2656f (the “Act”) by the Department of State to Congress, stressing that it was
aimed at providing report on those countries and groups that meet the criteria
of the Act.
Also, the Federal Government has warned all security agencies in the
country to be guided by its Executive Order 3/2017, which directed Ministries,
Departments and Agencies of Government (MDAs) to give priority to local
industries in their procurement.
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