President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the commitment of Nigeria to playing a leading role in bringing West African countries together to fight violent extremism in the sub-region.
A statement issued Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the President was addressing a security meeting in Jordan hosted by King Abdullah II.
He said that with what Nigeria had gone through, the country was ready to share the experiences with a view to fashioning out comprehensive action plans in tackling the scourge of violent extremism in West Africa.
President Buhari further called for a stronger and well-coordinated collaboration among the countries in the region.
He said the joint regional collaboration under the auspices of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), combined with the efforts of the Nigerian military, had gone a long way to decimate the activities of extremists in the region.
The Nigerian President, however, lamented that the insurgents were able to attract members into their fold because of the insidious preaching of extremist clerics and called for an action plan to halt the trend.
He also urged leaders, especially from the Muslim world to speak up against the hateful violence committed by deranged people in the name of Islam.
“All nations, irrespective of religion, should partner effectively in implementing national, regional and global action plans to counter violent extremism,” he said.
At the end of the meeting, participants resolved to come up with concrete action plans that would change the narrative of violent extremism in the West African sub-region at a follow-up meeting to be hosted by Nigeria.
The statement comes a day after President Buhari held a bilateral meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, on the sidelines of the counter-terrorism summit.
During the meeting, he stressed that regional cooperation was needed more than ever to tackle the global threat of violent extremism.
The Nigerian leader had also recommended that inter-regional cooperation and information sharing were the only ways the evil of terrorism could be curtailed.
He also used the opportunity of the meeting to thank King Abdullah II for his constant support and assistance to Nigeria, especially in the area of security.
