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Dambazau Rates FG’s Performance In Tackling Border Security Challenges 10/10

  The Minister of Interior, Mr Abdulrahman Dambazau, has defended the Federal Government’s efforts in providing security at Nigeria’s borders. Advertisement Dambazau, a retired Lieutenant … Continue reading Dambazau Rates FG’s Performance In Tackling Border Security Challenges 10/10


Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau
Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau

 

The Minister of Interior, Mr Abdulrahman Dambazau, has defended the Federal Government’s efforts in providing security at Nigeria’s borders.

Dambazau, a retired Lieutenant General and former Chief of Army Staff, spoke about the country’s security situation and borders during the 2018 World Congress of the International Press Institute (IPI), in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Thursday.

He spoke during a session entitled ‘Conversation with the Government of Nigeria’ and moderated by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Channels Media Group, Mr John Momoh.

When asked to rate the performance of the Federal Government in checking Nigeria’s porous borders on a scale of one to 10, the minister rated the government a 10.

He said, “This is a difficult thing you are giving me because when you are talking about border security and management it involves so many things. That is one.

“Secondly, from what I have said, it isn’t something that is left to Nigeria alone. It is a regional problem that we are working very closely with our neighbouring countries on.

“In our own efforts, I will tell you 10/10.”

Lack of adequate security at the borders has been blamed for many of the security challenges in the country, including the influx of firearms, smuggling as well as the emergence of killer herdsmen.

Government officials and President Muhammadu Buhari have all blamed the killings in several parts of the country on the influx of firearms from Libya.

The minister explained that the Federal Government took a lot of steps to provide security at the borders because it is very concerned by the security of the nation’s borders.

“A lot of efforts have been made to ensure that we have effective relationships both at the bilateral and multilateral levels to ensure that we do not accept the breach of border security.

“Because of the porousness of our borders, this government when it came (into power) was able to provide lots of logistics to the immigration department so that it can enhance its mobility to cover the border.”

He, however, conceded that because the borders are extensive, they cannot be protected by just providing more vehicles.

Consequently, the government is also collaborating with international organisations and regional governments and blocs to tackle the problem, especially that of migration.

Also, the minister said the government is using technology to tackle the security situation at the borders.

Another initiative is the decision to turn to border communities for help. But this has faced some difficulties, according to the minister, who cited an example of the chiefs of two border communities – one in Niger and the other in Nigeria – who were brothers and were uninterested in talking about borders or securing them.

The minister pointed that out that in tackling security challenges at the borders it was important to remember “the 1994 UN Human Development Report which has redefined security from the traditional perspective from territorial integrity to the issue of human security”.

He, however, said, “With the security threat of terrorism, particularly what we have in the North East, with the kind of weapons that are trickling in from areas like Libya and Mali, we need to do a lot more to reinforce our borders and this is precisely what the government is doing.”

Other ministers who participated in the session are the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; and Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Okechukwu Enelemah.