President Muhammadu Buhari has told the United Nations that Nigeria is still facing violent extremism from the insurgency of Boko Haram and bandits.
He said this on Wednesday while delivering Nigeria’s National Statement, via video-message, on the first day of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly Debate themed ‘The Future We Want, The United Nations We Need: Reaffirming Our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism- Confronting Coronavirus Through Effective Multilateral Action.’
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He urged world leaders to redouble efforts to ensure collective security, noting that the litany of sophisticated terrorist attacks across the globe was a harsh reality of the challenges the world was facing today.
He said Nigeria continued to count on her strong cooperation with the UN counter-terrorism bodies and neighbouring countries to overcome the terrorists in the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel Region.
He said Nigeria would vigorously sustain the rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement of victims of terrorism and insurgency in the northeast for which the North-East Development Commission had been established.
Illicit Trade
Buhari said Nigeria remained deeply concerned over the illicit trade, transfer and circulation of small arms and light weapons, particularly in Africa.
He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the revitalisation of Lake Chad and his call for international support for the regional efforts to raise $50bn required to actualise this initiative.
Safe School Initiative
He announced that Nigeria would be hosting the 4th International Conference on Safe Schools in 2021.
He expressed Nigeria’s commitment to partnering with the World Health Organisation and some countries to ensure accelerated development and manufacturing, as well as the uninhibited supply of safe and effective coronavirus vaccines to all.
He said if the UN system could not mobilise the world to marshal out a truly effective and inclusive response to the coronavirus pandemic, it would have failed in the core mission of giving expression, direction and solution to the yearnings of the international community.
