Govt seeks more synergy on security  with ECOWAS

THE Federal Government has sought more synergy among ECOWAS-member states in tackling the security challenges facing the region.

Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Abdularahman Dambazau (rtd), made the call when the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commissioner for Trade, Customs, Free Movement and Tourism, Mr. Tei Konzi, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.

Dambazau noted that the challenges of border security management, irregular migration of citizens as well as climate change and deforestation confronting the area were daunting, thus needing synergy as well as the employment of modern concepts and techniques to mitigate them.

He said: “If we collaborate to tackle insecurity in the region, we will have a secure environment which will encourage trade and tourism, not only within Africa but with other parts of the world.”

He decried the situation where citizens risk their lives through the desert and Mediterranean Sea in a bid to cross to Europe, noting that often times, the migrants got  trapped in the process and end up in slavery or lose their lives in the process.

The minister,who re-stated the need for free movement as well as trade and tourism within the ECOWAS region, also emphasised that security measures must be put in place at all borders to forestall the activities of terrorists who would like to take the advantage of the opening.

He assured his guest that within the period that President Muhammadu Buhari would serve as ECOWAS chairman, the country would bring some innovations on board in order to add value to the current status of the body.

ALSO READ: Lawmakers scramble on immigration as government shutdown paused

Earlier, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, Customs, Free Movement and Tourism, Mr. Tei Konzi, who commended the Nigerian government for its support towards the success of the body, said that his purpose of visiting the ministry was to explore possible areas of collaboration on security matters as they affected  trade, customs, free movement and tourism within the ECOWAS states.

He urged the minister to bring his wealth of experience on security matters to bear on the management of border security to ease free movement thereby encouraging trade, tourism and investment within the ECOWAS sub-region.