EU to deliver €20 million defence support to Nigerian armed forces
The European Union (EU) is set to provide €20 million in defence support to Nigerian Armed Torces.
This is contained in a statement on Saturday by Leah Katung-Babatunde, the media aide to the Minister of Defence.
Ms Katung-Babatunde said the discussion took place when the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, received the EU ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, and his delegation at the Ship House, Abuja.
She said Mr Mignot was on a working visit to discuss critical bilateral defence agreements, including a review of security cooperation between Nigeria and the EU.
According to her, Mr Mignot commended the minister for his efforts in changing the security dynamics in the country and invited him to a meeting of ministers of defence in Brussels later in the year.
She also said the engagement centred on modalities for the EU’s bilateral assistance of €20 million for the AFN under the European Peace Facility (EPF).
Ms Katung-Babatunde further said the ambassador revealed that an EU technical delegation would be visiting Nigeria in November to agree on delivery details.
She said Mr Musa was expressing gratitude to the EU for consistency in supporting Nigeria and assured the ambassador of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring the safety of Nigerians and development of the country.
The minister said relative peace was gradually returning to troubled parts of the country due to the efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies.
He, however, noted that kidnapping along major highways and attacks on isolated communities persisted and were being tackled.
“In this regard, Nigeria is expecting the delivery of 10 attack helicopters, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and other major enablers,” Mr Musa said.
He revealed that the shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin, on which more than 50 million people depended, remained a potential source of instability.
Mr Musa stressed that denying terrorists holding areas on the Lake Chad Islands remained a key operational priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
On Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, Musa emphasised that it would prioritise victims, including affected military personnel.
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Heading 5
Ex-police officer to be castrated for child sex abuse in Louisiana, U.S.
District Judge Kevin Kimball sentenced Mr Williams to three life terms in prison and ruled that he would be castrated.
Politics
Obi is incorruptible, says Kwankwaso
Mr Kwankwaso said the attribute is key and needed in the governance of the nation.
Politics
Katsina PDP guber candidate pledges to end unemployment
The candidate said that if elected, he would prioritise policies that would enable young people to secure employment.
States
Zamfara: Abducted children, women rescued after 22 days in bandits’ den
Mr Abubakar said the police, the State Security Service and local hunters swiftly mobilised and carried out a well-coordinated rescue operation.
States
Gov Bago mourns Niger APC welfare secretary
The governor described Mr Wakil’s death as a great loss not only to the state APC but also to the national party structure.
Diaspora
APC youth condemns UK protest against Amupitan, threatens ‘full force’ against attacks on Tinubu
Mr Israel warned in a statement on Saturday that the party’s youth wing will confront citizens attacking the president, his wife, convoy and supporters.
