18th May, 2015
The National Security Adviser, retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, said in Abuja on Monday that Africa must adopt a coordinated and comprehensive approach to tackling insecurity and humanitarian problems.
Dasuki stated this in a message to a two-day Post-Election Conference organised by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development.
The theme of the conference is: Security and Governance Challenges in Africa’s Largest Democracy.
He stressed the need for African countries to significantly improve their capacity in securing their borders to deny terrorists of safe haven and movement.
Dasuki maintained that the approach must be anchored on continued political and economic growth.
He said Federal Government was building the capacity of law enforcement and security agencies to counter terrorism.
The security adviser said that years of neglect of the Niger Delta was responsible for militancy in the region.
He noted that over the years, successful governments had used different approaches to address the challenges in the region.
Dasuki said the amnesty programme instituted in 2009 by the late Umaru Yar’Adua’s government, significantly reduced activities of militants in the region.
“Although large scale militancy has declined, but the problem has not been completely eradicated,” he said.
He contended that illegal mining by militants in the region had remained a major threat to the country’s economy.
Dasuki called for a national security plan to check any future insurgency in the Niger Delta.
“Our current national security priority in the Niger Delta is to ensure the safety of oil installations and personnel in the area,” he said.
He added that government needed to work closely with communities, local and state institutions in the region to achieve any success.
“Counter terrorism without attention to development, institutional capacity and community engagement, provides only a short term solution,” he said.
He said that government was always willing and ready to participate and contribute to regional and international efforts to check terrorism.