By Sumaila Ogbaje

The North-East Rehabilitation Group (NERG), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has lauded the Armed Forces of Nigeria over the growing peace in the region ahead of 2023 general elections.

The National Coordinator of NERG, Mr Danladi Gombe, in a statement on Saturday, said the return of peace to the region was an assurance that the people would be able to exercise their franchise in the forthcoming elections.

Gombe said the people of the North-East were ready to participate fully in choosing those that would run the affairs of the country for the next four years.

He said that the insurgents had continued to surrender in droves because they could not withstand the intensity of coordinated military operations.

He urged parents and families to rein in on their wards to eschew vices capable of undermining the current peace being enjoyed in the region.

Gombe also commended the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor and the troops for keeping to their words to restoring peace and stability as well as restoration of economic activities in the region.

According to him, the people were not sure of participating in the 2023 elections about three years ago but they are happy that economic activities is coming back to the region in full swing.

“We are glad that we will be able to participate fully in the forthcoming general elections without fear.

“This, without doubt, is attributable to ongoing military operations, that is successfully de-escalating the forces of darkness that before this time held on to our region.

“We are grateful to the Armed Forces of Nigeria under the leadership of Gen. Irabor for the sacrifices been made to keep our region safe, habitable and creating opportunities for revival of economic activities,” he said.

The group urged the people to ensure that they participate fully in the electoral process, adding that the military and other security agencies had given assurance to deal with any threat to the elections. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

By Ibironke Ariyo

Some of the Newly promoted personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have pledged safer roads for all motorists across the nation in the year 2023 and beyond.

They made the pledge in a separate interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja following the massive promotions of  personnel recently approved by FRSC board.

They also lauded the Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu for prioritising the welfare of the staff and elevating them to various ranks in the just concluded promotion examinations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FRSC had announced the promotion of 3, 628 marshals and appointment of two Deputy Corps Marshals (DCMs) on Thursday.

Biu was appointed as the FRSC Corps Marshal by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 after he had acted as the CM between July and December 2022.

Speaking, Mrs Nwamaka Efobi, who was promoted from the rank of Superintendent Route Commander (SRC) to Chief Route Commander (CRC) said she had never experienced such joy since her service year.

Efobi said, “I feel good and happy. I feel lifted and I know that truly change has come. I will say that with this new rank, it is more work and dedication.

“We have never experienced this kind of joy before. In the history of FRSC, we have not seen such. We pray that God bless the Corps Marshal and honour him. We will ensure the roads are continually safe for all,’’ she said.

Also, Mr Charles Ajayi, Route Commander, said that his years of input yielded out for him, and pledged his commitment to saving lives and properties.

Ajayi said, “Although I might be an administrative staff, but it is a structure that works together.

“With this new position, I will put in more effort to ensure that everything goes well with the Corps and that road users enjoy safety at all cost,’’ he said.

Speaking, Mrs Akintoye Akpo, Deputy Route Commander (DRC), said that it is God that gave her the promotion and assured of maximum efforts in delivering the mandate of the Corps.

She urged other personnel not to relent in their work as promotion required more work and dedication to duty.

Mrs Modupe Adefope and Mrs Remaliah who were promoted to the rank of Corps Commander commended Biu for counting them worthy of the promotion.

They also pledged to give their best to ensure that sanity was restored on the highways.

In a telephone interview, A.M Ajayi, Zonal Accident Investigation officer in charge of Crash Investigation, Lagos, said the promotion was fair and evenly distributed.

Ajayi also promoted to the rank of Chief Route Commander (CRC) said that a lot of staff were happy at the massive promotion.

“If this continues, there will be a lot of improvement on welfare, activities and productivity as well,’’ he said.

Reacting to the jubilation from the FRSC personnel, the Corps Public Relations Officer (CPEO) Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) Bisi Kazeem, said that Biu had promised to create motivation for the entire staff to deliver on their mandate.

Kazeem said that the promotion in the history of FRSC was the first of its kind as it cuts across all states with officers from ARC to CC.

“On assumption, Biu spoke and mentioned specifically about welfare. He has a feeling that if they are motivated and that if their welfare packages are given, there will not be any need to pursue people to work.

“He also believed that promotion will serve as a motivation for them to do more in their work.

“He started by paying so many backlog of transfer allowances and this one which he did now on promotion in the history of FRSC is the first of its kind,’’ he said.  (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Ismail AbdulAziz

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has urged state governments to show more commitment to disarmament, deradicalisation and reintegration of repentant insurgents, to ensure sustainable peace.

Rear Adm. Yaminu Musa (rtd), the Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre, ONSA, made the call at the closing of the National Technical Workshop on Amnesty Management, Deradicalisation and Community-based Reintegration, on Friday in Abuja.

Musa said the contributions to the workshop would boost the combined efforts of stakeholders and international partners in addressing the security challenges in Nigeria.

He added that it would also support the national goal of ensuring a safer and resilient society for all residents of the country.

According to him, the workshop has provided a platform to promote collaborative learning and a shared purpose for advancing DDR in Nigeria.

“It has given us more insights into what we need to do better in the implementation of the Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in the country.

“I therefore charge all the state representatives to go back and reflect on the gains of this event and come up with contextual approaches to advancing the DDR process in your various states, in line with the national objective.

“We have a herculean task ahead of us but it is not insurmountable, let us activate our ‘I can spirit’ and the gains will be enormous,” Musa said.

The Country Director, International Alert Nigeria, Mr Paul-Bemshima Nyulaku, said the first DDR programme in Nigeria was the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta, adding that deradicalisation was part of Operation Safe Corridor.

Nyulaku however said community-based reintegration was unknown in Nigeria, as such there was need to enage and sensitise communities for them to be able to accept back repentant insurgents.

He therefore said all stakeholders should make effort to take the conversation forward, adding that community-based reintegration was critical to sustainable peace in the country.

The country director said while government plays lead role in DDR programme, it was important to properly engage communities to accept the programme.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholders recommended that federal and state governments should explore the options within the context of their various security challenges.

At the workshop, representatives of the international community, including European Union, British High Commission, Swiss Embassy, among others, expressed willingness to support efforts to ensure a resilient community in Nigeria. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

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By Yahaya Isah

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to enhance border surveillance and control ahead of the forthcoming general election.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by Mr Sola Fasure, the Media Adviser to Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.

Aregbesola conveyed the President’s directive while inaugurating Katsina State NIS Command office and Roll-Out of the enhanced e-Passport in the state.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that Nigerian borders should be made impenetrable to foreign bodies who might want to come in and manipulate the election process or engage in other nefarious activities.

“The order from the President is that between now and the time that we conclude all the elections, please make our borders impregnable. They should still remain impregnable, even after the elections.

“We don’t want a situation whereby those who are not qualified to vote in Nigeria will come into our nation to illegally participate in the process,” Aregbesola added.

The minister reiterated that the primary assignment of the service was border control and not passport issuance.

The minister, however, said migration management was another primary responsibility of the service, as such, they  must ensure migrants were effectively regulated and documented, as passport issuance was complimentary.

He assured that the nation’s borders would soon be covered using latest surveillance technology.

“We are deploying electronic digital technology to ensure 24/7 inch by inch surveillance of the 4,500 kilometres borderline from the eastern part to the western part including coastlines.

“This is one of the several achievements of the President’s administration.”

He added that Katsina has 14 border positions across 400km borderline manned by immigration personnel, and assured that the government was confident of protecting the border positions.

In his remarks, Gov. Aminu Masari, represented by the Secretary to the Government of Katsina State, Alhaji Muntari Lawal, commended the NIS for helping to curb the menace of insecurity in the state.

The governor also commended the Ministry of Interior for successfully establishing a state command of the immigration service in Katsina. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Europian Union (EU) has announced additional 20 million euro for its programmes and activities related to Disarmament, Deradicalisation and Reintegration (DDR) in North East Nigeria.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Samuela Isopi, made this known at a National Technical Workshop on Amnesty Management, Deradicalisation and Community-Based Reintegration, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The workshop was organised by the National Counter Terrorism Centre in the Office of the National Security Adviser,  in collaboration with International Alert Nigeria.

Isopi was represented by EU Nigeria Team Lead, Ruben Alba.

He said the programmes would build on the works done to support reconciliation and integration in the region.

She said the EU has been a long standing partner of Nigeria on both DDR and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism.

The envoy said the programmes were being implemented together with the United Nations partners, the IOM, UNDP, UNICEF.

According to her, EU has been supporting a number of activities related to amnesty management, deradicalisation and community-based reintegration.

“We have supported Operation Safe Corridor from the very beginning and I think it is the right moment to commend the immense progress that has been made to these operations.

“I think the programme is not without challenges, but recently, Operation Safe Corridor has shown what can be done, and I think it is a model for others in the region.

“I have been taking very good note of the wave of mass exit that has taken place in the North East since 2021.

“I think this workshop will definitely help us in moving forward and you can count on our continued support and I’m happy to announce today that we have committed an additional 20 million euro for our programme in activities related to DDR in the North East.

“They will continue being implemented and this will build on the work that we are already doing to support reconciliation or integration problem.

“We will be working of course with the federal government, continuing the work on Operation Safe corridor, and also state level and that will include support to the Borno model,” he said.

Similarly, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said the UK was proud to be supporting the initiative as part of its Wider Security and Defence Partnership with Nigeria.

Laing said that considerable progress had been made by Nigerian Government and a number of states on non-kinetic approaches to resolving conflicts across the country.

According to him, it is not possible to resolve complex conflicts by military means alone.

She said the workshop was important to ensure that emerging non-kinetic approaches were guided by national policy frameworks and grounded in domestic and international law.

This, according to her, will unlock greater international support to the efforts.

The British High Commissioner said while amnesty and voluntary DDR processes are essential components of successful conflict resolution, international law is clear that there can be no impunity for crimes against humanity.

“These approaches must therefore be complemented by robust, timely and fair criminal judicial procedures for those who have committed grave crimes.

“This is particularly important in the case of former associates of terrorist groups as UN Security Council Resolution 1373 creates an obligation on all member states to bring terrorists to justice.

“In all cases, approaches must be compliant with international humanitarian and human rights law, even for those members of armed groups who will not undergo criminal prosecution, some form of justice may be necessary,” she said.

On his part, the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Nicolas Lang, commended the effort of Nigeria towards ending the conflict in the North East over the last decade.

Lang said that Nigeria had not only applied military repression, but also took courageous non-kinetic initiatives, both at the federal and state level.

According to him, the Nigerian government has engaged in dialogue and mediated processes, operationalised demobilisation, disarmament, deradicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration, as well as mobilised social actors towards early reconciliation efforts.

He said that the experience in the North East had shown that DDDRR approaches could be important alternatives to military combat in weakening insurgencies.

The envoy added that it also triggered a sense that fighting does not have to be endless.

“The nature of complexity of conflicts involving non state armed groups of the kind active in the Northeast is such that there are no easy ways as history shows.

“Fewer armed conflicts have been endured through military pressure and demobilisation strategies alone.

“As competent and frustrating as it may look, a lasting solution to the conflict in the North East will probably only emerge through a political solution based on dialogue and talking, taking into account the different grievances of those affected by the conflict,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

==========

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Stakeholders on Tuesday in Abuja, called for community-based approach to address issues of Disarmament, Deradicalisation and Reintegration (DDR) of repentant extremists in Nigeria.

They made the call at a 4-day National Technical Workshop in Amnesty Management, Deradicalisation and Community-Based Reintegration.

The workshop was organised by the National Counter Terrorism Centre in the Office of the National Security Adviser, in collaboration with International Alert, Nigeria.

It was aimed at enhancing policy, and skills and the capacity of institutions to effectively implement DDR programmes in the country.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, represented by Deputy Comptroller of Correctional Service, Mr Sylvester Nwakauche, said the workshop was part of government’s commitment to finding sustainable solutions to the challenges posed by conflicts, extremism and violence in the country.

Aregbesola said that addressing the challenges required multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach, as well as the expertise of government, civil society, academia and the international community.

He said the issue of amnesty, deradicalization, and community-based reintegration was of paramount importance, in view of the increasing number of individuals influenced by extremist ideologies.

These individuals, according to him, posed significant threat to peace and stability in Nigeria and globally.

“Amnesty and deradicalisation efforts must be coupled with community-based reintegration programme that provides former extremists with the support and resources they need to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society.

“It is imperative that we work together to find long-term solutions to these complex challenges.

“I am confident that this workshop will provide a platform for us to engage in meaningful discussions and share best practices,” he said.

According to the minister, the workshop is to develop a comprehensive and integrated approach to deradicalization and reintegration, leveraging the strengths of local communities and the support of international community.

“We will explore the latest research and best practices in the field of amnesty, deradicalization, and community-based reintegration,” he said.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, said the workshop was to promote collaborative learning and a shared purpose for advancing DDR by key stakeholders.

Monguno was represented by the Coordinator, National Counter-Terrorism Centre, retired Rear Adm. Yaminu Musa.

He said it was an opportunity for those involved in amnesty management, deradicalisation and community-based reintegration to have strategic and operational level understanding of the concepts, approaches and new practices in effective planning, implementation and coordination of DDR.

The NSA said the scale at which youths had been joining armed groups was alarming, adding that measures to deal with the trend needed to focus on preventing radicalisation among young people and transforming those who had taken up arms into normal civilians.

He said that DDR fundamentally aims to re-establish the state’s monopoly of violence and the control of force in a post conflict phase.

“It is a precondition for ending armed conflict, securing stabilisation and initiating a process leading to sustainable development.

“The objectives of this workshop are to understand the basic concepts, strategies and approaches of DDR and identify key requirements for successful Amnesty, Deradicalisation and Reintegration programme, including but not limited to initiating the design of a robust DDR strategy.

“It is also to identify amnesty, deradicalisation and reintegration planning processes and how it contributes to stability, peace and development.”

The NSA said the participants would gain practical skills required for implementing the programme in high-risk environments and initiate collaboration and coordination among key actors and institutions.

Monguno said the practice of amnesty in which federal and state governments repeatedly grant amnesties can be counter-productive to national security in the absence of established policy and legislation, national ownership and coordination mechanism.

He said though significant success had been achieved with the security efforts in the North-East and North-West, the shifting strategy of violent groups and the inability of troops to hold and stabilise recovered territories had created a key challenge.

He therefore said that cooperation of communities was unavoidable in the quest for government to consolidate on the gains of ongoing counter-terrorism operations.

According to him, measures to win the hearts and minds of the population is critical, as such gradual resettlement and reintegration of affected communities is crucial for success.

“This involves military, political, civil, social, economic and humanitarian interventions implemented within a multi-stakeholder platform,” he added.

A former Chief of Defence Staff, retired Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, said that building confidence in the minds of everyone was key to achieving disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.

Agwai said the challenge for Nigeria was to identify who the leaders of the terrorists were and bring them to the table for discussion and disarmament.

He warned that the nation would continue to have the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons, if the DDR programme was not properly handled.

Agwai said in the North East, the combination of kinetic and non-kinetic approaches were critical to addressing the issues and expressed confidence that the recent approach would greatly address insurgency in the region.

According to him, though containment is important, Nigeria must also identify and address the root causes through communication, building consensus, cooperation and coordination.

Agwai therefore said that all the military and humanitarian organisations involved, must have a comprehensive approach to counter terrorism and counterinsurgency. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Yakubu Uba/Maharazu Ahmed

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By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya has tasked senior military officers to provide proactive and efficient leadership to effectively address the prevailing security threats in the country.

Yahaya made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while delivering a lecture titled, “Military Leadership in a Security Challenged Environment”.

The lecture was presented at the maiden Leadership Lectures Series of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC).

He said effective leadership was key to military plans and operations, as such military commanders must imbibe it in order to efficiently tackle the current security challenges in the country.

“The challenges are all across the globe and our own version of it is asymmetric in nature., and that is why we have continuously tried to address issues that border on leadership,” he said.

The COAS said the lecture series was part of efforts to have all levels leaders in the military to understand was needed to inspire troops to success.

According to him, the lecture has been designed to emphasise issues like courage, dedication, integrity and proactiveness in taking decisions on issues of equipment and welfare of officers and men.

Yahaya said that the military would continue to train its officers and men at strategic, operational and tactical levels to be proactive, efficient and constantly adapt to changes in the environment.

Earlier, Director General of NARC, retired Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, said every military personnel has been trained to be a leader, as such they must constantly develop their capacity to meet strategic and operational requirements.

According to Wahab, the first requirement for every leader is to have a dream of what he or she wants the system to be.

He added that integrity was of utmost importance for every military commander, who leads his men to success or to death.

Wahab therefore said that the COAS vision of professionalism, knowledge, administration and readiness were key to effective military leadership.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture was attended by the Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Yusuf.

Others were principal staff officers, top commanders of army institutions and units, as well as members of the academia and research fellows, among others. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

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