The Governor of Cross River State in southern Nigeria, Senator Bassey Otu has urged the Nigerian military to deploy more personnel for enhanced security of its people.
Governor Otu made the call when he received participants of Course 32 on a study tour from the National Defence College, Abuja also known as the ECOWAS Training Centre of Excellence for Peace and Conflict Studies led by the Director, Department of Curriculum and Programme Development, Commodore Mohammed Muye in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
Otu, who underscored the importance of increased security presence in a littoral and border state like Cross River, said that his administration was committed to safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians and others residing within the communities.
He said, “With the peculiar topography of Cross River State, we need more security personnel. From the creeks of Bakassi to the hills of Obanliku, we need a strengthened security architecture to weed out any form of crime and criminality in the state.”
The governor commended the Nigerian military for the sacrifices made to curb insurgency in the north-east, saying, “These are men, who put their lives in harm’s way to defend the territorial integrity of the country as well as maintaining peace and stability of the country.”
He described the theme of the study tour, “Strengthening National Unity for Security and Development in Nigeria: An Appraisal of Efforts of Cross River State,” as important noting that as a state endowed with rich cultural heritage, national unity and peaceful coexistence were pivotal to development.
Strengthening national unity
Earlier, the leader of the team, Commodore Muye said the Course 32 participants were in Cross River State on a national study tour organised to acquaint each of them with the socio-political environment in Nigeria for generating viable ideas towards strengthening national unity and cohesion.
Muye indicated that at the end of the tour, which would also take the participants to other Nigerian states such as Taraba, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Kano and Kwara, the findings of the group, highlighting the peculiarities of Cross River based on firsthand information, would be presented at the college.
He further explained that since the inception of the college in 1992, more than 2,750 participants have been trained, while noting, “Course 32 comprises 109 trainees including 19 international participants from Brazil, India, Bangladesh amongst others.
Dominica Nwabufo
