President Bola Tinubu has requested that the United Nations (UN) be “more practical” in assisting Nigeria in its fight against terrorism.
Tinubu made the remarks while hosting Vladimir Voronkov, under secretary general of the United Nations Office on Counterterrorism, at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday.
Terrorism, according to the president, is a threat to democracy.
Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson, quoted Tinubu as saying:
“We appreciate all that you have been doing and we know that in the face of many demands and challenges, you can still do much better”
“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.”
Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, stated at the meeting that poverty and injustice are some of the driving forces behind the insurgency.
“Nigeria continues to make significant investments in education and social security,” Tuggar said.
Voronkov stated in his remarks that Nigeria already has a framework for prevention, mitigation, and reconciliation, and he praised the country’s efforts in combating terrorism thus far.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Voronkov went on to say that the UN was planning a counter-terrorism summit in April 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.