President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday lamented the high cost of wars and insurgencies, saying Africa loses an estimated $18 billion annually.
He spoke at an international conference marking Nigeria’s centenary celebrations at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, with the theme “Human Security, Peace and Development: An Agenda for the 21st Century.
President Jonathan said as the nation marks 100 years, Nigerians look forward to the future with hope and confidence in spite of the current challenges.
He assured African leaders that gathered in the hall and indeed, all Nigerians that his administration would spare no resource in bringing insurgents to justice.
While recognising that there are success stories across the continent in the area of economy, he however hastened to add that the bright future ahead of the African people must be secured.
“There is no doubt that Africa is rising. Today, seven of the fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa. Investment in the continent by Africans in the Diaspora bears testimony to the increased level of confidence in our continent.
“The rising middle class and greater penetration of Information and Communications Technologies, combined with a fast expanding financial services sector, are all pointers to a better future.
“But we must secure this bright future. To do so, we must seriously address the issues of human security, peace and development.
“A firm commitment to human security holds the promise of an end to persistent conflicts, insecurity, poverty, disease, terrorism and other scourges that undermine the attainment of our dreams.
“We must emphasize that human security and peace are intertwined. Peace is not just the absence of violence or war. Peace encompasses every aspect of social tranquillity and wellbeing.
“The peace we strive for is a state marked by the absence of severe human want and avoidable fear. In our lifetime, this peace is attainable, in our nations and our continent,” he said.
President Jonathan, canvassed the need to strengthen existing mechanisms for national and international conflict management, and create new avenues for cooperation, within and between the African peoples and Nations.
According to him, some fundamental challenges to human security, peace and development must be addressed as Africa grows.
He stressed that “Terrorism, which is a global menace, has extended its tentacles to Africa and Nigeria. Terrorism must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. We all must work together, collectively, to rid our world of haters of peace, who use terror to maim, kill, instil fear and deny people their rights to peace and security.
“The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria is one of such condemnable acts of terror. We have continued to deploy human and military intelligence, in close collaboration with our partners, to bring an end to their nefarious activities”.
To contain insurgency on the continent, the President advocated greater regional cooperation in intelligence gathering and control of insurgents, saying it “will ensure not only Nigeria’s security, but also the security of our neighbours”.
According to him, Africa has had enough of wars, noting that wars, insurgencies and conflicts impact on neighbouring countries even more, due to displacement of refugees, illegal trafficking of arms and disruption of economic activities.
President Jonathan said the great threat to human and national security remains the rising menace of the use of small arms and light weapons.
“Out of the 500 million illegal small arms and light weapons in the world, an estimated 100 million are in Africa, with 10% in West Africa, mainly in the hands of non-state actors.
“When there are wars or conflicts, we all lose. When there is peace, we all win,” advising that “We must deepen our resolve to regulate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, strengthen our enforcement of the regional protocols, such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Their Ammunition and Related Materials; and the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control, and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa.
“We must do more to reduce some of the drivers of growth in illicit small arms, including human insecurity, inequalities, marginalization, ineffective disarmament, social exclusion and the culture of violence”.
The President noted that Africa faces a huge challenge with youth population bulge, saying by 2050, it is projected that about 40% of the population of Africa will be made up of young people below the age of 15 years, while about 60% of the population will be made up of young people below the age of 25 years.
According to him, “A major concern is the high level of unemployment among the youth, especially those that are educated and skilled. No priority for human security is more important for African countries than a sharp focus on creating jobs for this teeming youth population.
He therefore, opined that the African Union Peer Review Mechanism should pay greater attention to the issues of human security, peace and development.
“To promote this, I wish to propose the development of an African Human Security Index that helps us to measure the progress we are making on these and other critical issues in Africa, as shaped by African countries themselves.
“What Africa needs more than anything else in this 21st century therefore is collective action for positive transformation for the good of Africa.There is no doubt that this is the African century. “That is why I want to call on other African leaders to join me in seeking new ways to achieve our goals together, new strategies and workable solutions that advance our cause for peace and development”.
The conference was attended by many African leaders and representatives of international organisations who either made presentations on the theme of the conference or delivered goodwill messages.
Also present were Nigeria’s former Heads of State- Yakubu Gowon, Shehu Shagari and Earnest Shonekan, State Governors, as well as top government functionaries.
However, conspicuously absent were four Nigerian former leaders- Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar.
