EU Pledges €20m to Aid Nigeria’s Military Against Insecurity
By Molayo Anjorin
The European Union has pledged €20 million in defence assistance to Nigeria to further boost the military’s efforts against insecurity.
The Defence Minister, Christopher, Musa (retd.) disclosed this on Saturday after receiving the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Gautier Mignot, at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Abuja.
The Minister’s speaking through his Special Assistant on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, said the meeting was to discuss bilateral defence agreements and a security co-operation review between Nigeria and the EU.
According to him, the aid will be sourced from the European Peace Facility, an EU tool for funding peace and security initiatives, but the sum has not yet been provisioned.
Musa appreciated the EU’s relentless solidarity, saying that the Federal Government will remain resolute in its resolve to combat insecurity.
He said the military and other agencies have made commendable strides in restoring peace and security, but kidnapping along highways and attacks on isolated communities remain a high in the region.
“Relative peace is gradually returning due to the laudable efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies,” the minister said, according to the statement.
The Defence Minister also disclosed that Nigeria expected to receive 10 attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other military equipment to reinforce ongoing security operations.
He said that preventing terrorists from setting up operational bases on islands in Lake Chad was a priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which coordinates regional military operations against insurgents.
In his remarks, EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot hailed the country’s efforts to address its security challenges and invited the defence minister to a meeting of defence ministers scheduled to take place in Brussels later this year.
The Ambassador praised a recent conference involving former and serving MNJTF commanders, which attracted representatives of the African Union and the Lake Chad Basin Commission.