By Shindong Bala
The European Union (EU) is to provide €20 million in defence support to the Nigerian Armed Forces under the European Peace Facility to strengthen security cooperation between Nigeria and the EU.
EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Gautier Mignot, disclosed this during a working visit to the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), at Ship House, Abuja.
Ambassador Mignot said an EU technical delegation would visit Abuja in November to agree on the modalities for delivering the assistance.
He commended the minister’s efforts towards addressing Nigeria’s security challenges and invited him to a meeting of defence ministers in Brussels later this year.
Responding, General Musa expressed appreciation to the EU for its continued support, reaffirming President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to protecting lives and property and promoting national development.
The minister said relative peace was gradually returning to parts of the country through the efforts of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, although kidnapping along major highways and attacks on isolated communities remained challenges.
He disclosed that Nigeria was expecting ten attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other critical military equipment to strengthen ongoing security operations.
General Musa also identified the shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin, which supports more than 50 million people, as a potential source of instability.
He stressed that denying terrorists access to hideouts on the islands of Lake Chad remained a major operational priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
On the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, the minister emphasised the need to prioritise victims of conflict, including military personnel affected by the insurgency.
Ambassador Mignot also commended a recent conference of past and present MNJTF force commanders attended by representatives of the African Union and the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
Editing By Yusuf Zubairu
