Abubakar Suliaman, the director-general of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, has called for better civil-military relations for a more secure country.

Mr Sulaiman made the call on Tuesday at the opening of a one-day public dialogue organised by NILDS in Abuja.

The dialogue was on ‘Enhancing the Oversight Role and Capacity of the National Assembly Security Committees in Strengthening Civil-Military Relations through Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding in Nigeria’.

The director-general said the military must collaborate with civilian actors to address the root causes of conflict and incorporate community-based solutions into peacebuilding strategies.

Mr Sulaiman urged the military to fully embrace transparency and accountability and engage constructively with the legislature in the spirit of democracy.

The director-general urged the national assembly to accord expeditious consideration to strategic security information and provide budgetary support to enhance the logistic and welfare needs of officers and men as a morale booster.

Sylvanus Zabidi, a senior lecturer at Bingham University, Nasarawa, said that the legislature was part of the civilian populace. He said the legislature has been given constitutional responsibilities to affect the military’s functions positively.

According to him, they cannot and should not be swept aside; since 1999, many things that had happened that were not good did not enhance civil-military relations.

(NAN)