President Muhammadu Buhari has called for more international collaboration to check the spate of terrorism, banditry and insurgency, ravaging the country.
He made the call on Tuesday, 2 August, 2022, while receiving Letters of Credence of Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador James Kingston Christoff and Ambassador of Mexico to Nigeria, Juan Alfred Miranda Oritz, in Abuja.
The president, who commended the collective efforts of nations towards tackling security challenges across the globe, noted that successes in taming insecurity had been recorded through collaboration across borders, and more could be achieved.
Buhari cited such global challenges as insecurity, climate change and the post-COVID-19 era, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war, which has undermined the progress countries have made in tackling food security, and the political instability in Libya, which continues to fuel terrorism in the Sahel, as realities from which nations were reeling.
“Nigeria is not left out of the equation, as we are fighting to rid our country of banditry, kidnapping, herder/farmer crisis and insurgency.
“We are, however, making meaningful progress with the support of friendly countries like yours to sustain these fights until we overcome these challenges”, he said.
At the regional level, Buhari said Nigeria has been working with other Member-States of ECOWAS and other regional blocs, to deal with the problems of terrorism, trans-border crimes, maritime crimes such as piracy and illegal fishing on the country’s waters, illicit drug and human trafficking, banditry, as well as unconstitutional changes of government.
“I believe that matters of security have become the business of all nations as these challenges go beyond the abilities of any single country to effectively contain.
“The world must, therefore, work closely together and Nigeria counts on your support in cementing the relations between our countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels to surmount these global threats to civilization”, the president said.
The president urged diplomats to monitor political developments in the country, leading to the 2023 elections, but should remain true to their professional ethics of non-interference.
President Buhari also advised the diplomats to focus on building on the successes of their predecessors.
In his remarks, on behalf of the ambassadors, the Canadian High Commissioner thanked the president for the ceremony of accepting the Letters of Credence.
“Today marks the formal beginning of our engagement with the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We will work closely with ministers and officials to start a progressive relationship,’’ Christoff said.
