- Abdulsalami called for sustainable solutions to Sahel challenges.
- He added that climate change, and environmental degradation among other factors, had provided fertile ground for insecurity to thrive in the region.
The former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, says poverty, unemployment, and weak governance are exacerbating insecurity in the Sahel region.
He made this statement as chairman of the News Agency of Nigeria’s inaugural annual lecture in Abuja.
The lecture, themed “Insecurity in the Sahel, 2008 to 2024: dissecting Nigeria’s challenges, genesis, impact and options,” highlighted the complex factors contributing to regional instability.
He said climate change and environmental degradation have created an environment conducive to insecurity.
Abdulsalami stressed, “At the heart of the insecurity in this region, among other factors, are the undercurrents of poverty and unemployment, and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
“Also weak governance, and institutional failures, as well as climate change and environmental degradation.
” These factors have devastating impacts on Nigeria and the Sahel, stalling development. The region’s security challenges are intertwined with its regional heritage, encompassing troubled countries like Burkina, Chad, Mali, and Cameroon.
“In 2020, 4,660 people were killed, and 2,600 civilians lost their lives to banditry in 2021. Abdulsalami urged collective action to address lingering insecurity.
“We must work together to fight insecurity because we owe our children, the future generation, the duty to create a secured nation.”
He commended NAN for organizing the lecture, noting its timeliness amidst government and stakeholder efforts to address insecurity.
The event aims to identify root causes, actors, and sustainable solutions to terrorism, kidnapping, and violence.
Abdulsalami concluded, “this lecture tackles terrorism, kidnapping, and violence, which will go a long way in proffering solutions to insecurity in the country.”