EU to Provide €20m Defence Support to Nigeria to Tackle Insecurity

The European Union is set to provide €20 million in defence assistance to Nigeria to strengthen the Armed Forces' capacity to tackle insecurity across the country.

Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), disclosed this during a meeting with the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, Gautier Mignot, in Abuja.

The assistance will be provided under the European Peace Facility, with an EU technical delegation expected to visit Abuja in November to finalise arrangements for delivering the support.

According to a statement issued on Saturday by the minister's aide, Leah Katung-Babatunde, the meeting focused on bilateral defence agreements and the review of security cooperation between Nigeria and the European Union.

Musa expressed appreciation to the EU for its continued support for Nigeria's security efforts and reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment to protecting lives and property.

The defence minister said relative peace was gradually returning to parts of the country through the efforts of the military and other security agencies. However, he acknowledged that kidnapping along major highways and attacks on isolated communities remained significant security challenges.

He added that Nigeria was expecting 10 attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and other essential military equipment through the efforts of President Bola Tinubu's administration.

On regional security, Musa raised concerns about the shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin, which supports more than 50 million people, warning that the development could contribute to instability in the region.

He stressed the importance of preventing terrorist groups from accessing operational bases on islands within Lake Chad, noting that the Multinational Joint Task Force remained committed to addressing the threat.

The minister also called for greater attention to personnel affected by conflicts under the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration programme, emphasising that military personnel who had suffered from conflict should receive adequate support.

In his remarks, Mignot commended the Nigerian government's efforts to improve the country's security situation and invited Musa to attend a meeting of defence ministers scheduled to take place in Brussels later this year.

The EU ambassador also praised a recent conference involving former and serving commanders of the Multinational Joint Task Force, which brought together representatives of the African Union and the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

The planned November visit by the EU technical delegation is expected to help finalise the arrangements for delivering the €20 million assistance to Nigeria's Armed Forces.

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