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West Africa under Boko Haram, al-Qaeda siege — Buhari

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OLALEKAN ADETAYO

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday admitted that West Africa was constantly under the threat of dreaded terror groups such as Boko Haram, AQIM and Al-Qaeda.

He added that regional leaders were being daily inundated with saddening news of human trafficking being carried out by trans-border syndicates.

Buhari stated these in his welcome address at the 52nd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States held in Abuja.

He said, “We see the consequences, on our young men, women. and our economies.

“Accordingly, it is imperative that we take urgent action to address these challenges.”

Buhari said his administration, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration, had evacuated Nigerians stranded in Libya.

He said returnees were given needed support from state governments and non-governmental organisations.

The President said he had instructed the National Emergency Management Agency to speed up the evacuation of Nigerians still stranded in Libya.

In view of the enormity of the challenge, Buhari urged the regional leaders to look into the possibility of putting in place, a mechanism for the evacuation, resettlement and empowerment of stranded ECOWAS citizens abroad.

He also suggested the need to step up dialogue with their European partners in their efforts to address the challenge.

“The long-term solutions to these challenges is to create conditions of peace and security in our countries and sustainable development of our economies.

“Only through this can we create jobs and other conditions, then, our youths will have little or no excuse to embark on the suicidal venture of irregular migration.

“Regrettably, there is growing reluctance from our region’s development partners to be more proactive in support of our efforts.

“However, our shared challenges make it imperative for the cooperation to be developed,” he said.

Buhari commended the foresight of past regional leaders that in 2001 adopted the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

Since then, he said the region had steadily developed the culture of democratic practice, including good governance and respect for the rule of law.

He noted that the trend was demonstrated in Liberia.

While commending Liberians for the manner in which they conducted themselves during and after the just-concluded general elections, Buhari expressed the hope that the same attitude would prevail in the coming run-off election scheduled to hold on December 26.

He also appealed to Togolese, to continue to embrace dialogue in efforts to resolve their political differences, urging the government to widen the space for dialogue and mediation.

Buhari added, “With regards to our sister nation, Guinea-Bissau, it is worrisome that the continued political deadlock is taking its toll on the people, on good governance and the resources of member states, particularly troops from contributing countries to the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau.

“I therefore strongly urge all the stakeholders in Guinea Bissau to respect their undertaking to resolve the political impasse.

“In the wake of the recent recession and economic challenges faced by ECOWAS member states, as evidenced by the severe drop in real growth rate for ECOWAS from 6.1 per cent in 2014 and 3.3 per cent in 2015, to an alarming rate of 0.2 per cent in 2016, there is an urgent need to review the spending patterns of all the community institutions, to ensure that dwindling resources are put to good economic use for the optimisation of strategic goals of the community.

speaking further, he said, “In this regard, I urge the commission’s leadership to practise probity and accountability in the management of our resources.

“Also important is the need to consolidate the efforts made so far on the ongoing Reform of ECOWAS Institutions and Specialised Agencies, and to emphasise the importance of good governance, sound financial management and cost reduction as the underlying factors for a successful reform.

“In this regard, Nigeria welcomes the approved institutional reforms of our organisation and we are looking forward to their comprehensive implementation.

“The gains and savings made should be invested on greater integration projects, as well as on security and development initiatives.”

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