President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to continue his administration’s war against corruption as well as tackle insecurity, especially in border areas.
Speaking in Abuja on Friday at the opening of the Munich Security Conference on the eve of the 55th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, he observed that illicit financial flow had compounded the problem of corruption and hindered development.
He said: “With the advent of globalisation and new technologies bringing nations and peoples closer, and creating new opportunities of interaction and trade, comes significant issues of security.
“We can see through the increasing number of evil actors, especially perpetrators of organised crime who profit from the illicit flows of assets out of the African continent.
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“In recent years, the challenges posed by illicit outflows of our resources have increased, with attendant sophistication due to the fast pace of technological advancement. Illicit flows have further fuelled terrorism and the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
“Our sub-region is not only a victim of Illicit financial flows but also of human trafficking, arms and drugs trade with dire consequences on the wellbeing of our people and on national security.
“It is common knowledge that illicit flows compound the problems of corruption and impede efforts towards sustainable economic growth. This is why I will continue to take decisive action to fight corruption and confront insecurity, especially in the border areas.
“In addition, relevant agencies have also been mandated to work towards strengthening regional and international partners to address these threats.”
The President said to effectively combat illicit flows, it was necessary that countries collectively bring adequate resources and reinforce their capabilities to address transnational organised crime, as no government can do it alone.
He further stated: “I am aware that one of the key facilitators of transnational organised crime including illicit flows, is the porous nature of our borders. This is a major challenge to our region. In this context, we will continue to count on the support of our international partners for new technologies to effectively police our borders.
“Here in the West African sub-region, we have taken important steps to address some of our security concerns through improved political governance as contained in the relevant regional mechanisms of ECOWAS, which I currently have the privilege of chairing. I, therefore, welcome the Munich Security Conference for launching its Transnational Security Report in Abuja today.”
He expressed delight that the launching of the report on the eve of the ECOWAS Summit, offered a unique opportunity to bring together decision-makers and experts to discuss new cooperation approaches to counter the challenges of illicit flows and other transnational crimes.
Buhari was confident that the deliberations will produce positive results which will guide the countries to strengthen their existing frameworks and strategies for durable solutions to our current cross-border security challenges.
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