President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to addressing insecurity in the North-West and the country in general.

Mr Tinubu gave the assurance on Monday in Katsina at the opening of a two-day summit on peace and security in the North-West, organised by the North-West Governors’ Forum in collaboration with UNDP.

The summit’s theme is “Regional Cooperation for Securing Lives and Livelihoods.”

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the president urged Nigerians to continue to unite as a people and embrace peace for development.

“We promised to make Nigeria safe, and the security agenda has been a top priority of the administration for the past year.

“We are not slowing down until we achieve our goal,” he said.

Mr Tinubu said the government would continue to ensure that every child goes to school and returns home safely, while the farmers would plant seeds in a secure environment.

The president said the government was strengthening collaboration with all the stakeholders and intensifying military operations to address the situation.

Mr Tinubu, however, pointed out that it was disheartening that Hausa and Fulani, who had been one before, were now divided and fighting each other.

He stressed the need for them to embrace peace for the development of the zone and the country in general.

In his remarks, Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State stressed the importance of confronting the menace collectively, saying, ”Because it is a concern to all.”

Mr Radda said their goal was to provide peace and security to people and property in the region.

He urged that the summit address the root causes of the insecurity to enable governments to address the menace.

The governor revealed that ensuring every child access to quality education and youth empowerment would assist in tackling the menace.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, said the problem has persisted for a long period, hence the need to provide answers to its root causes.

“We have met with the Northern Governors’ Forum four to five times on the same issue. We must tell ourselves the truth about what we must do to challenge these bandits,” he said.

Mr Abubakar assured the continued support of the traditional institutions in addressing the problem.

(NAN)