Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) Weekly Subject Experts’ Presentation was held at Hall C, TY Buratai Block, Abuja. There were four presentations made by the Subject Experts for the West Africa and Gulf of Guinea, Middle East, Central America.
The first presentation by Maj Gen OO Adeleke (Rtd) subject expert for West Africa and Gulf of Guinea. His presentation discussed on how amnesty warns of escalating Jihadist violence in Burkina Faso, according to the NGO Amnesty International in its report stated that Death was slowly creeping on us, Living under siege in Burkina Faso which focuses on crimes against civilians in many parts of the country and has undergo two military coups, the most recent in September 2022. The conflict is part of the border armed conflict in the Central Sehel, that began with the 2012 conflict in Mali, before spilling over to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger and further south to the Northern hinges of Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire. And the breakdown of trust between authorities and humanitarian actors, symbolized by the expulsion of the Un Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in December 2022, have however, negatively impacted humanitarian relief in a country where almost 2 million persons have been forced to move from their homes and according to the National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (CONASUR).
In his analysis and lesson for Nigeria, Gen OO Adeleke (Rtd) pointed out that Unfortunately, the Jihadists in Nigeria, Boko Haram, ISWAP and Ansaru all seek to establish an Islamic State in the country through violent means and this has brought untold hardship to Christians, Muslims and the entire Nigerian population and their exploits have caused death, irreversible injuries, economic and financial waste as well as excruciating pain, fear and anguish in the country. Regrettably, government and the security forces are yet to get their acts together in bringing this menace to a halt and it is critical to the survival of the nation that it brings to bare all the elements of national power and in all sincerity of purpose if the evil of the Jihadist is to be defeated.
He recommended that the FGN should build trust and collaboration between communities, religious leaders and law enforcement agencies and also the Federal Ministry of Information in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Communications, should collaborate with tech companies to monitor and remove extremist content from online platforms, develop online campaigns to counter extremist narratives and promote massages of peace, tolerance and inclusivity.
The second presentation by Brig Gen ED Idimah Subject Experts Central America, his presentation Centre on Belize plan to provide free services at public hospitals, on the 8th November 2023, the Belizean government announced that it will waive all fees charged to patients at public hospitals, making Belize one of the few countries in the Caribbean to offer universal healthcare and the initiative is to remove all financial obstacles to healthcare access and improve healthcare facilities for all citizens, especially those from low-income families.
In his analysis and lesson for Nigeria, General Idimah noted that Nigeria can invest in infrastructure, human resources and training programs to enhance the capacity and quality of primary healthcare services across the country and when citizens perceive that their government cares about their health and well-being, it can foster trust, confidence and positive sentiments toward the government.
He recommended that the federal government of Nigeria should create the enabling environment to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors to enhance the provision of free medical care.
The third presentation by Brig Gen NA Mohammed Subject Experts Middle East, his presentation focused on how Saudi Arabia to sign deals worth over $500 Million with African Nations Minister, on 9th Thursday Nov 2023, the Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed AI-Jadaan announced that the Saudi’s Fund for development will sign agreements worth 2 Bn Riyals ($53 million) with African countries, he stated this during the Saudi-Arab –African Economic Conference in Riyadh. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman also at the conference signed preliminary agreements with African countries including Nigeria, Senegal, Chad and Ethiopia on energy-related cooperation.
In his analysis and lessons for Nigeria, General Mohammed pointed that Nigeria and Saudi Arabia could also strengthen security cooperation to mitigate terrorism, illegal migration and other crises not just in Nigeria but across West Africa and the Sahel region. In addition to these, Prince bin Salman highlighted Agriculture and Renewable Energy as areas of investment interest for Saudi Arabia in Nigeria to help the country attain food and energy security respectively.
He recommended that Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Manufacturing Association of Nigeria as well as Bank of Industry to improve actions on industrializing Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of works and housing to i
