The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has said Nigeria’s porous border affects security.
Naija News reports that Speaker Abbas said security issues across West African nations have made it imperative that Nigeria must take its border security seriously.
He stated this on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), in an engagement with the Nigerian National Defence College, Course 33, at the National Defence College in Abuja.
In the lecture, titled ‘National Resilience and Security in the 21st Century’, Abbas commended the resilience of West African countries in adapting to post-conflict era.
He noted that security challenges happen across the continent: states contend with insurgencies in the Sahel; constitutional crises occur in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger; while economies that depend heavily on commodities have health emergencies, such as Ebola and COVID-19, and severe climate impacts.
“Yet, African societies consistently demonstrate adaptability, from post-conflict recovery in Rwanda and Sierra Leone to navigating economic hardship. The African Development Bank’s 2022-2026 Strategy emphasises that strengthening institutions, communities, and investments collectively builds shared resilience,” he said.
At the continental level, the Speaker said African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture, with its early warning systems, mediation efforts, and standby force, alongside initiatives, such as the Great Green Wall and ECOWAS drought resilience plans, highlights the need to address security, environmental, and development challenges in a coordinated manner.
According to him, ECOWAS has repeatedly acted to contain crises, deploying missions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast, and leading the 2017 Gambian intervention to uphold election results under Nigerian leadership.
“A wave of recent coups now tests the sub-region’s commitment to constitutional governance, prompting sanctions, negotiations, and proposals for a dedicated ECOWAS standby force to deter unlawful power seizures,” he stated.
The Speaker stressed that economic integration measures, such as plans for a common currency, solidarity funds, and coordinated health procurements during the pandemic, further bolster regional stability by facilitating resource flows.
“An effective resilience strategy follows three integrated phases: mitigation, adaptation, and recovery. Mitigation employs proactive measures, such as flood defences, robust building standards, preventive diplomacy, and deradicalisation programmes, to reduce risks before they occur.
“Adaptation acknowledges that some shocks are unavoidable and builds capacity to cope through drought-resistant crops, emergency communications drills, and diversified energy sources.
“Recovery restores and strengthens communities and systems through relief efforts, infrastructure rebuilding, the reintegration of affected populations, and economic stimulus, while embedding lessons learnt to address future vulnerabilities. By treating these phases as a continuous cycle, each recovery informs better mitigation and adaptation, ensuring that past crises guide future security planning,” the Nation quoted him.
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