FG to Collaborates ECOWAS Member on Security
The Federal Government has called for increased collaboration amongst ECOWAS-member States with a view to tackling the security challenges facing the region.
Hon. Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdularahman Bello Dambazau (rtd), made the call today when the ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, Customs, Free Movement and Tourism, Mr. Tei Konzi, paid him a courtesy visit in his Office in Abuja.
He stated that the challenges of border security management, irregular migration of citizens as well as climatic change and deforestation confronting the area were daunting, thus needing synergy as well as the employment of modern concepts and techniques to mitigate them.
According to him, “if we collaborate to tackle insecurity in the region, we will have a secure environment which will encourage trade and tourism, not only within Africa but with other parts of the world”.
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Gen. Dambazau decried the situation where citizens risk their lives through the desert and Mediterranean Sea in a bid to cross to Europe, noting that often times, the migrants get trapped in the process and end up in slavery or worse still, lose their lives in the process.
The Minister who re-stated the need for free movement as well as trade and tourism within the ECOWAS region, also emphasized that security measures must be put in place at all borders to forestall the activities of terrorists who would like to take advantage of the opening.
He assured that within the period that President Muhammadu Buhari will serve as ECOWAS Chairman, the country will bring some innovations on board in order to add value to the current status of the body.
Earlier, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, Customs, Free Movement and Tourism, Mr. Tei Konzi, who commended the Nigerian Government for its support towards the success of the body said that his purpose of visiting the Ministry was to explore possible areas of collaboration on security matters as it affects trade, customs, free movement and tourism within the ECOWAS States.
He urged the Minister to bring his wealth of experience on security matters to bear on the management of border security to ease free movement thereby encouraging trade, tourism and investment within the ECOWAS sub-region.
Mrs. Grace Njoku
