President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday in Yokohama, Japan, lauded the Nigerian armed forces for their successes in the war against insurgency and criminality while emphasising his administration’s commitment to addressing the root causes of insecurity through strengthening the government security apparatus and ongoing economic reforms.

President Tinubu made the remarks during his intervention at the plenary session on Peace and Stability at the 9th meeting of the Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD9).

He reaffirmed that inclusivity, diversity, and the rule of law remain Nigeria’s greatest strengths.

He described the current momentum in the Nigerian Armed Forces as a springboard for national development and stability.

He spoke after the opening ceremony, during which the Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba emphasised the importance of mutual understanding, local solutions, and collaborative efforts for Africa’s development.

The Prime Minister outlined Japan’s focus on private sector-led sustainable growth, youth and women empowerment, and regional integration.

Prime Minister Ishiba announced a collaborative economic framework between Japan and the African Development Bank that will see a maximum of $5.5 billion disbursed to Africa, utilising Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) private sector investment finance as a catalyst.

President Tinubu emphasised the ongoing investments in infrastructure, institutional reforms, and collaboration with civil society and international partners to improve the living standards of all Nigerians.

“Nigeria’s brave armed forces can win any number of battles, but we do justice to their heroism only when we, as government, are courageous in tackling not just terror, but also the underlying causes,” the President said.

President Tinubu stressed the essence of peace and stability to meaningful development, lamenting that conflicts are still ongoing in many African countries despite some progress.

However, he highlighted recent peace pacts brokered in the Congo as evidence that a new model of mediation and economic considerations can yield success.

“We should be under no illusions about the scale of our task. But neither should we underestimate the successes we have had. In the past, competition for resources has weakened states and triggered conflict. Now, we see mediators directly linking outcomes to investment in Congo. It is working and underlines the need for fresh thinking in everything we do to deliver peace and stability.

“Nigeria understands this process well. We believe inclusivity and diversity under the rule of law are our strengths. We have argued for this vision, and we have fought for it. We are still fighting for it today. We have learned that our brave armed forces can win many battles. But we can do justice to their heroism and sacrifice only when we, as governments, display the courage to be tough, not only on terror, but on the causes of terror,” he said.

President Tinubu appealed for market-driven cooperation and partnerships across nations rather than the hackneyed appeals for aid and handouts.

President Tinubu seized the opportunity to call on the Japanese government to support the campaign for reforms in the United Nations’ organs, especially the United Nations Security Council, to give African countries a greater voice.

“It is the view of Nigeria that Africa’s quest for fair and equitable representation in the UN Security Council is a just and fair demand. Indeed, Africa deserves two seats in the Permanent Category, with all its prerogatives and privileges, including the Right of Veto. Africa also deserves additional seats in the non–permanent seat category of the Security Council, as encapsulated in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.”

Addressing the role of information and technology, President Tinubu called for international cooperation to ensure technology becomes a tool for peace and trust, not division and alienation.

Prime Minister Ishiba emphasised that locally rooted solutions are essential for Africa’s development.

“Japan is providing various cooperation and support for Africa. But first of all, Japan needs to know more about Africa. So, in creating solutions together, this co-creation at the TICAD 9, we focus on three important areas: private sector-led sustainable growth, Youth and Women, and Regional integration and connectivity within and beyond Africa”.

He appealed to African countries to assist Japan as it grapples with the challenges of a declining population and shrinking agricultural land.

“In 75 years from now, the population of Japan would have been halved. In the local communities, the population continues to decline; this is one big challenge Japan is facing. All agricultural land is being reduced, another major challenge for Japan.

Ishiba underscored the positives of Africa’s youthful population:

“There is another potential in Africa; there is so much growing young population in Africa, but for the power of young people in Africa to flourish, you need to create a manufacturing industry and create employment, and that, I believe, is very important.

“In Africa, there is a primary industry, agriculture, forestry, and industries, and then it jumped over to the tertiary sectors and the services industries.

“There is a jump in economic growth that Japan and other Asian countries have experienced and they have tried to move from the primary, the Agriculture, fisheries, forestry to the secondary, that is a necessary process because the power of the youth could be realised fully in the manufacturing industry to improve the productivity of Africa’s manufacturing sector.”

Courtesy: Statehouse