Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro spoke with newsmen about the Boko Haram crisis, among other security challenges facing the ministry, and efforts being made to beef up internal security in the country. Johnson Babajide was there.WHAT are some of the challenges you encountered since your assumption of office as Minister of Interior'I assumed office at a time that can be described as difficult; difficult in the sense that Nigeria is passing through a difficult and tense situation. We have witnessed, in recent times, issues that are a little alien to our culture. We have witnessed the incident of bomb blasts that have become more of suicide bombings; issues that we hear in the radio, watch on the television, cable networks that happen in other lands have been transported to Nigeria. And to me, that presents a very serious challenge against the backdrop of internal and national security.What I can ascribe that to is immediate challenges. I think that the normal challenge that we have is that government resources is highly limited. If you think about what can be done to contain the present problem of internal insecurity, the physical problem is funding. And so, we are trying to go round it to find answers to question of funding and that has informed the invitation of all Nigerians, especially the private sector, to come partner with government to be able to solve some of these problems that we encounter today as a nation.Only recently, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Ebele Jonathan, convened a retreat for government functionaries in ministries and the organised private sector. The whole idea is to network and create a synergy that would make the Nigerian economy private sector driven. And I can tell you that the retreat came out wonderfully because from the retreat, the problems of the private sector were put before the government and the government intention of partnering with the private sector to re-engineer the Nigerian economy for the purpose of creating a conducive atmosphere to create jobs and create funds was addressed. Therefore, I can tell you that this government is going the right direction. All these are problems that confront the Ministry of Interior, the Nigerian Police and all agencies entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing law and order. We are working towards getting on top of the situation.Internal security is one of the core responsibilities of your ministry, and if you look at Borno State which happens to be a border state between Nigeria and Chad, it appears porous and everyday we hear about Boko Harram crisis there. What is the ministry doing to ensure tighter security at our borders'Well, I agree with you on the activities of the sect called Boko Haram and that attention has been focused on Borno State, especially our borders along Cameroun and Chad. And that is because of the inevitable conclusion that because this culture of bomb blast and suicide bombing is alien to Nigeria, we have come to the inevitable conclusion with the evidence of people who have been accosted in recent times that these people could have infiltrated our country on those borders. So, the effort that is on ground within the Ministry of Interior now to sort out the problems include intensifying our border patrols.I can assure you today that the inter-agency patrol of our borders has been stepped up in Nigeria. Only recently, the Ministry of Interior played host to the Inspector-General of Police of Niger with all the accompanying officers of other security agencies like the Customs and Immigration. They were all in Nigeria and of course, the Ministry of Interior. And the conclusion of our interaction and interface was that we will now resuscitate and implement the joint border patrol between Niger and Nigeria because we agreed that the problems that confront Nigeria in terms of internal security are very similar, if not the same with those that confront Niger also in terms of internal security. That is essentially because of the conflict in the Middle East and the downward movement of insurgence from these countries has led to the proliferation of arms across the borders. And soon, there is going to be reciprocal visit with the Nigerian Inspector General of Police, the Nigerian Immigration Service and the accompanying officers of the Civil Defense Corps. They are going to meet in Miami, Niger. We hope that with the intensification of these collaborative efforts between Niger and Nigeria, it would be extended to Cameroun, Republic of Benin and extended also to the Chad; we would be able to contain the illegal movement of these aliens across the country. In the next week or so, there will be an inter-ministerial meeting of Niger and Nigeria and the borders of West Africa in Kebbi, capital of Kebbi State, essentially to fashion out a design to secure our borders.The issue of Boko Haram is one of the nagging problems in the country. While some persons have agreed that dialogue is the solution to the problem, others have insisted that force should be used. As the Minister of Interior, what is your take on this' The conclusion of some persons as to the exclusion of dialogue from settling internal dispute is actually a misplaced one. I think that what people mistake for dialogue is negotiation. I think what the Federal Government would not want to engage in ab initio from the beginning is the issue of negotiation. You would agree with me that it would be absurd for the Federal Government to try to solve problems that arise, particularly problems that arise and result into bombings and suicide bombings and all that, with negotiation. And so, the Federal Government as a democratic government is amenable to dialogue. The essence of democracy is dialogue, consultation and I think that is exactly what the Federal Government is doing.The report of the post election violence in Nigeria has been submitted to the Federal Government and the issues are being addressed. I can tell you that in order to establish a fair platform for the Boko Haram crises, the Federal Government set up a committee and the committee has turned in an interim report and has finally turned in a final comprehensive report to the federal government. As I speak to you now, a White Paper by the government is in the works and the intention of government was to find out first of all what has given rise to this crisis that has confronted us today as a nation that is called Boko Haram. The next thing is that as a democratic government, going by the report submitted by the committee set up, needs to find out the reason for the crisis. But if, by the report and the opinion of government, dialogue sorts out the problem, then certainly, the government would engage in constructive dialogue to ensure that the crisis is laid to rest.Let me tell you that the use of force has been necessitated by the fact that the activities of Boko Haram have escalated to the point that mayhem has been unleashed on the nation. And no responsible government would fold its arms and allow individuals taking laws into their hands by eliminating other human beings.Do you think the man power training and acquisition of skills of security officers in this country is adequate enough'I think as far as manpower training and acquisition of skills is concerned, Nigeria certainly is not lagging behind. Only recently, I was in Kaduna to witness the passing out of the armed segment of the civil Defense Corps where over 500 men and women have been trained in weapon handling. Also, a few weeks ago, I was in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, where I also witnessed the passing out of men of the Civil Defense Corps who also have been sufficiently trained in weapon handling. Similar exercises are on in the police and in the army. And so, I think that in terms of training, the Federal Government has adequately provided for the training of men and women of the various law enforcement agencies.Without any fear of contradiction that when it comes to enforcement of peace, Nigeria has ranked very high not just in Africa, but in the world. In all the peace-keeping operations that Nigeria has engaged in, Nigeria has not been found wanting. As a matter of fact, Nigerian soldiers and policemen and officers who have engaged in peace operations across the world have been commended for their dexterity in their participation.Nigeria has played very leading role in enforcing peace and order in various other countries and the present situation is not an exception. You would agree with me that because of the deliberate efforts of the Federal Government at enforcing law and order, the activities of Boko Haram have even abated. And so, I think that people should not misinterpret the existence of crisis in one part of the country or the other to mean that Nigeria is at war with Nigerians. No. And as a subscriber to United Nations provisions of human rights, Nigeria must work within a reasonable level of using force in quelling situations. And so, today, the Federal Government is combining force with dialogue and consultation and I think it is paying off.
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