Abuja hosts summit on border crimes

Nigeria and eight other countries are meeting in Abuja to find solutions to trans-border crimes ravaging the nations.

The other countries are Benin Republic, Cameroun, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Niger, Togo, Sao Tome and Principe, and Ghana.

Dr King Adie, the President, Global Peace and National Reconciliation Organisation, said the 2016 G9 summit has as its theme, “Peace, Education, Cultural Festivities, Tourism Development, Good Governance, Attitudinal Change for Effective Trans-border peace, Security, Cooperation, Development and Integration’’.

The summit would address the issues of peace and unity, good neighbourliness, and integration which would help ameliorate underdevelopment, poverty, corruption terrorism and other social vices.

“We want to talk to ourselves and our leaders to be wise and denounce corruption, militancy, terrorism and other various evil acts that are opposed to our corporate existence.

“All controversies, questions, agitations and counter accusations can be solved by compromises and sacrifices from the parties involved,’’ he said.

Dr Philemon Gora, President, Global Funds in Florida, USA, at the summit, said private sector participation in poverty eradication would help reduce crimes in the society.

“Trans-border crimes are growing in scale and momentum without a corresponding clear and coordinated strategy for dealing with this hydra-headed monster in the sub-region especially within the G9 nations.

“G9 nations have been battling with transnational crimes and I believe that the reason for these crimes is not ethnic or religious differences but poverty.

“We have seen through experience that when poverty pushes people to the wall, they would try and scale the wall as a remedy,’’ Gora said.

He said that it was obvious that the G9 countries’ inability to curb trans-border criminality was a direct consequence of the nations’ high rate of poverty.

The governments could not solve the problem alone and this is why the private sector participation was necessary for the growth, quality, sustainability and inclusiveness in every economy.

Also, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, the wife of the President of Nigeria, advised G9 countries and Nigerians in particular at all level to work with their leaders to make their communities safe.

Aisha, who was represented by Mrs Joy Nuriel, said that peace and security would not be negotiated but that all must come together for the peaceful coexistence of the people of the nations.

Mr. Muhammed Abba-Gana, former minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), aid in his good will message that though these nations are passing through difficult times, they must unite and support their respective governments.

“We have political, socio-economic and security challenges, we must work to achieve the necessary peace, unity and security to enable us all bring about progress and general development in all sectors.

“So we must partner each other, having been the pioneer adviser to the President on Relations on Civil Society I know how synergy between the government and all and sundry can make Nigeria work better,’’ Abba-Gana said.

Highlights of the event include Global Peace Ambassador Awards to the wife of the President Aisha Buhari, and Abba-Gana, among others.