The federal government has pledged its commitment to ensure peace and prevent conflicts both nationally and globally.
Nigeria’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Samson Itegboje, made the pledge while delivering Nigeria’s statement at the UN General Assembly’s Annual General on the Report of the Peace building Commission, PBC.
Ambassador Itegboje said “The culture of safeguarding, keeping, restoring, building and sustaining peace must be entrenched. This is the cardinal value of the UN. “Nigeria is a country that is diverse in many areas. It has known how fault-lines can be exploited by a few. It also knows how this diversity can be a source of strength.
An identified priority for the PBC in 2018 is the Sahel Region, covering Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
Ambassador Itegboje said these were neighbours who shared common challenges with Nigeria and as a result, Nigeria has been in the forefront of activities geared towards lasting peace in the region.
He emphasised the need for a holistic approach to address the multi-dimensional threats facing the countries of the Sahel region and their people, calling on regional and international partners to act with greater synergy and unity of purpose.
While stressing the need to invest for the future of the Sahel, Itegboje said only concurrent, integrated and coordinated efforts in the fields of security and development could bring about lasting peace and stability in the region.
He also said that the Peace building Fund was invaluable because it was dealing with issues such as food insecurity, poverty, climate change, terrorism, and transnational organised crimes, among others.
