President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for a comprehensive approach to tackling the security challenges plaguing the Lake Chad Basin, emphasizing that only a combination of military strategy, diplomacy, and socio-economic development can restore lasting peace and prosperity to the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 5th Meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Governors\u2019 Forum in Maiduguri, President Tinubu highlighted the tragic reality of Africa\u2019s youthful population being exploited for violent conflicts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He stressed the need to transform the continent\u2019s young people into agents of progress rather than instruments of destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president, who was represented at the forum by Vice President Kashim Shettima, underscored the importance of balancing military efforts with initiatives that promote unity, cultural exchange, and economic opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While hard power is necessary to secure borders and combat insurgency, he noted that lasting peace is achieved through soft power\u2014leveraging diplomacy, shared values, and regional cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lake Chad Basin region, which has faced years of insurgency and instability, requires a concerted effort from governments, development partners, and local communities to address the root causes of insecurity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria\u2019s commitment to fostering regional collaboration and ensuring that the people of the Lake Chad Basin experience meaningful development and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Tinubu said \u201cYour Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our response to these threats must be multifaceted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile military solutions are indispensable, they must be complemented by strategies that address the root causes of insecurity\u2014poverty, inequality, and the lack of opportunities for our youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is a tragic irony that Africa, a continent with the youngest population in the world, sees its youth become cannon fodder for destructive ideologies and the drivers of conflict. This is the challenge before us: to transform this demographic dividend into a force for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPower\u2019s true essence lies not in its possession but in its application. Hard power may secure borders, but it is soft power\u2014through diplomacy, culture, and shared values\u2014that builds bridges and binds us together\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Tinubu said every part of the world is entangled in its own unique security challenges, resulting in the global military gulping \u201ca historic $2.4 trillion in 2023, with no signs of slowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He observed however that \u201chard power, detached from the moral imperatives of justice and diplomacy, only widens the very divide it seeks to bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President told the Lake Chad Basin Governors\u2019 Forum that it is only by sticking to the vision for which the forum was created that pursuing and adopting partnerships that benefit the people can be achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such partnerships, he said, include the collective commitment to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and advancing the United Nations\u2019 Sustainable Development Goals, even as he noted that the choices made \u201ctoday will echo through generations, shaping the future of this region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recalling the successes recorded so far in repelling threats to the region\u2019s borders and sovereignty by elements of terror, the President attributed past victories by member countries to the joint missions they had embarked on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese hard-won victories,\u201d he remarked, \u201care a testament to the strength of our cooperation,\u201d adding that \u201cas such, the guarantee of peace must remain paramount, even when domestic politics or policies seek to undermine the nobility of our agreements to serve the people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Nigerian leader cautioned the Governors and other stakeholders against allowing \u201cthe geopolitical tensions across the world to sow discord\u201d in the region, and submitting themselves \u201cto become tools in any proxy agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He continued: \u201cThe salvation of the Lake Chad region is neither in Europe nor in the Americas. It lies in the hands of all those gathered here today. You, distinguished representatives of this forum, embody not only our collective will to protect the region but also the transformative potential that stability brings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe true enemy remains the non-state actors\u2014those who exploit weak borders, poor governance, and fragile economies to challenge our claim to civilization. However, the worst threat we may face is not the insurgents or terrorists at odds with our humanity. It is the absence of cooperation, sincerity, and fidelity to our shared pact as brothers\u2019 keepers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe undermine this pact when we renege on agreements to secure our borders when misinformation and falsehoods breed mistrust, and when we jeopardize the freedom and choices of our people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier, the host Governor, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, described the forum as an opportunity for states around the Lake Chad Basin region across Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon Republics to discuss and reflect on the journey so far since the Regional Strategy for Stabilization, Recovery, and Resilience became operational six years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He noted that as partners in progress, the Yobe State government provided the platform for participants to strengthen contact and collaboration towards ensuring stabilization, recovery, and resilience across the Lake Chad Basin in the months and years ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the same vein, Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, commended the strategic partners of the forum, saying their contributions have enabled governments of the forum to tackle some of their challenges to strengthen and rebuild the Lake Chad region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the platform is a rallying point for political cohesion, fostering regional interaction, sustaining the socio-economic development of the region, and regional integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n