Bayero University Kano and the European Union have called for a community-driven strategy to address violence and insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
The call was made on Monday at a one-day seminar titled “A Whole-Society Approach to Prevention of Violence and Conflict in Northern Nigeria,” held at BUK.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Haruna Musa, said the event highlighted the need for joint action to address insecurity in the region.
He said Northern Nigeria was facing security and development challenges that require cooperation among stakeholders.
“No single institution can solve these challenges alone. It requires working together.
“As a university, BUK is ready to contribute research, data and community linkages to support evidence-based interventions,” he said.
EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said insecurity remained a major challenge in Northern Nigeria and called for inclusive prevention measures.
Mignot, who led a delegation of EU ambassadors, said the bloc was supporting Nigeria in education, peacebuilding, governance reforms and economic development.
“The delegation choose Kano for its annual diplomatic mission because of the state’s strategic importance as one of Nigeria’s major development and commercial hubs”
He said the EU and Nigeria shared values in democracy, human rights, rule of law and social inclusion.
Mignot said the EU was implementing development programmes under its Global Gateway strategy in agriculture, renewable energy, digital infrastructure, health and education.
“International cooperation remains the solution to many of the global challenges confronting humanity, including climate change, inequality, insecurity and disinformation.
He said the EU had expanded its intervention in North-West Nigeria with a €300 million package, alongside €730 million in grants and over €1.5 billion in development support between 2021 and 2027.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said the Federal Government remained committed to securing lives and property in vulnerable communities.
Ribadu, represented by the Director of State Liaison in the Office of the NSA, Lami Chinade, said non-kinetic approaches were key to sustainable peace.
“Security must increasingly become a whole-of-society enterprise,” he said.
He said the Office of the NSA was developing a National Peace Framework to improve coordination and strengthen community-based peacebuilding.
Ribadu added that keeping children in school, engaging youths productively and resolving disputes peacefully were critical to national security.
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf said peace and security required cooperation among all segments of society.
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Alhaji Musa Suleiman-Shanono, commended the EU delegation and BUK for organising the seminar.
In a presentation, Prof. Maikano Madawaki of the Department of Sociology, BUK, identified ethnic tensions, communal clashes, political violence, marginalisation, substance abuse, unemployment and weak governance as drivers of insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
He called for stronger institutions, improved access to education and social services, effective border control and increased investment in youth development.
