TheCable

President Bola Tinubu has asked the United Nations (UN) to be “more practical” in supporting Nigeria in the fight against terrorism.

Tinubu spoke on Thursday when he hosted Vladimir Voronkov, under secretary-general of the UN office on counter-terrorism, at the presidential villa in Abuja.

The president said terrorism is a danger to democracy.

“We appreciate all that you have been doing. We know that in the face of many demands and challenges, you can still do much better,” Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, quoted Tinubu as saying.

“We can score you ‘A’ in collaboration but ‘B’ in physical support. You have to do more because terrorism is an effective danger to democracy; terrorism is also an effective danger to development.

“Growth and prosperity cannot be achieved until we banish terrorism. We have to equally look at other sides of the issue, and I have said it is the where, how, and when of terrorism.”

Speaking at the meeting, Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, said poverty and injustice are some of the driving forces behind insurgency.

“Nigeria continues to make significant investments in education and social security,” Tuggar said.

In his remarks, Voronkov said Nigeria already has a framework on prevention, mitigation, and reconciliation, while commending the efforts taken so far by the country in tackling terrorism.

“Of course, terrorism is part of the international agenda, and we had a successful meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussing how to enrich our agenda on international terrorism response,” he said.

“I can only mention that politically, and from the point of view of capacity building on activities for counter terrorism, Nigeria is one of the leading partners.”

Voronkov added that the UN was planning a counter-terrorism summit in April 2024 in Abuja, the country’s capital city.