The governor of Adamawa, Ahmadu Fintiri, has said lack of cohesion and integration is the major threat to peace and security in the country.

Mr Fintiri made the observation at a one-day citizens summit on integration, peace and security held in Yola on Thursday.

The summit was organised by the Adamawa chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

The governor noted that the lack of positive unity among the citizens equally undermined the capacity for the sustainable development of the nation.

He said that for the post-insecurity development agenda to be realistic in Adamawa, it must be backed by a robust security strategy framework with the strong backing of organisations such as the NIPR.

He said that the present Adamawa was no longer merely a destination for religious, herder and farmers crises, but a state involved in constructive, multi-sectoral exchanges in Nigeria.

“Lack of cohesion and integration constitutes a major threat to peace and security which undermines the capacity for sustained development

“Our government stands ready to continue to engage the best practice in tackling insecurity and marginalisation, which is responsible for most cases of communal conflicts.

“We will spare no effort in addressing this menace. Therefore, we are confronting it with every resource at our disposal with due regard for fundamental human rights and the rule of law,” Mr Fintiri said.

In his remarks, the state chairman of NIPR, Usman Dadah, said that the summit aimed to foster cohesion, promote understanding and build a strong relationship between people of the state in line with the core objective values of public relations practice.

“The attention of NIPR in the state has been drawn to a misguided report that practising journalists cannot register as members of NIPR.

“This is counterproductive. The two professions, journalism and public relations cannot be easily separated as they are all products of mass communication,” Mr Dadah stated.