Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, says Federal Government recognised peace and security as enablers for socio-economic progress and development in its development plan 2021 – 2023.
Agba, represented by his Special Assistant, Dr Philip Ogbodaga, said this at the inauguration of the Protection of Civilian Course 2023, on Monday in Abuja.
The two weeks course was organised by the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre (MLAILPKC) in partnership with UNDP and Government of Japan for participants from Nigeria and some ECOWAS countries.
Agba said that while conflicts and even wars were avoidable, all individuals and organisations had the responsibility to ensure protection of every civilian from the cruel consequences of armed conflicts.
He said the world had continued to witness atrocious abuse of right of civilian population in many situations of conflicts in spite of all efforts.
According to him, over the years, Nigeria has been engaged in initiating peace and settlement and establishing international systems for the maintenance of peace and security.
This, according to him, has endeared the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to the international community as a reliable peace partner.
“They are playing a prominent role in the integrative and peace building efforts within the west Africa sub region and in other parts of the world.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria in its efforts at ensuring security of all Nigerians has continued to support initiatives, project and programmes that will consolidate measures militating against the maintenance of law and order throughout the federation.
“And government believes and rightly so that the effective way to protect civilians is to avoid conflict in the first place and where they do exist, to end them.
“This explains why conflict resolution initiatives and peace building remain a very high priority of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“As a He for She practitioner, and gender advocate, I hope that emphasis will be placed on gender and child protection in peace protection and the prevention of gender related sexual violence,” he said.
In his remarks, the Team Lead, Governance, Peace and Security at UNDP, Mr Matthew Alao, said the training was important to global peace and stability and its contributions to the attainment of SDGs by 2030.
Alao said that continuous capacity building and strengthening for military and para-military officers, as well as civilians alike on the need to effectively protect civilians in armed conflicts would improve their professionalism, reduce fatalities, preserve lives, significantly build trust and confidence in their services and PSOs activities.
He said the course was one of the three courses contained in the current project launched on May 9 and funded by the government of Japan at MLAILPKC.
“We, therefore, encourage the participants to nurture the knowledge that will be acquired within the next two weeks and apply them as required in all related assignments and mission deployments.
“We thank the Government of Japan for her continuous assistance to UNDP programmes in Nigeria and particularly for funding this course.
“We are proud to acknowledge that your investment is well targeted and that it will deliver the desired outcomes to the benefit of all.
“Similarly, we applaud all the participants for taking part in this course and wish you a successful stay in Abuja.
“We note at this juncture that this course draws participants from Nigeria and ECOWAS, and not less than ten countries are being represented,” he said.
The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, said the Government of Japan had continued to provide livelihood assistance to people living in the northeastern region.
He mentioned these assistance to include infrastructure reconstruction, measures against gender-based violence, and employment training through supplementary budgets and emergency grant assistance since 2013.
Kazuyoshi said that Japan had also provided assistance to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in the fight against piracy, including the provision of high-speed patrol boats.
He added that the government was also making great efforts to improve counter-terrorism capabilities and support countering violent extremism, which was at the root of terrorism.
“In order to prevent and eradicate terrorism, the international community must unite in its efforts to combat terrorism.
“The Government of Japan actively participates in and contributes to global efforts to eradicate international terrorism, and also provides support for the fight against organised crime from the perspective that it can be a source of funding for terrorism.
“This year, however, the comprehensive protection of civilian course, which focuses not only on counter-piracy but also on strengthening the capacity of security authorities and other relevant personnel to protect civilians in the event of violent extremism or armed conflict, is being launched to address more complex situations.
“This project will contribute to peace and stability in Nigeria and, by extension, throughout West Africa,” he said.