Nigerians will vote in a peaceful atmosphere, says Buhari

…says that porous borders continue the fight against terrorism

The president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (Retd), said on Thursday, despite the high spirits typical of election seasons, that his regime will ensure Nigerians vote in an atmosphere conducive to free and fair elections on February 25 and 11 March. 2023.

“I have made it a cardinal commitment to ensure that every Nigerian can exercise their right to vote by participating in free and fair elections… our aim is to ensure that this is done in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere” , Buhari said as he addressed the Secretary General, World Customs Organization, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, at the State House, Abuja.

According to a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Mikuriya is in Nigeria for a global conference on fragile borders themed “Enabling Customs in Fragile and Conflict Situations.”

The statement is titled ‘How Fragile Borders Fuel Terrorism, Economic Sabotage and Illegal Arms Flows, by President Buhari’.

Buhari praised Mikuriya for his fourth visit to Nigeria and said his final performance will come when the electorate heads to the polls.

He said: “I have made it a cardinal commitment to ensure that every Nigerian can exercise their right to vote by participating in free and fair elections, in the true practice of our relatively nascent democracy.

“It is our aim to ensure that this happens in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere, despite all the usual excitement and gamesmanship known during election campaigns.”

Buhari also lamented that the porous borders of many African states and the associated proliferation of illegal weapons fueled economic sabotage and prolonged the fight against terrorism.

He argued that Nigeria and its neighboring countries should put a higher premium on effectively guarding its borders as the fragile nature of entry points to various countries encourages terrorism.

“In fact, it is honestly the most concerning sub-theme in our national security agenda. The fragility of our borders has been a major Achilles heel in our fight against terrorism, economic sabotage and the illicit flow of small arms and light weapons,” Buhari noted.

Therefore, the President praised the topicality of the World Conference on Fragile Borders and expressed his joy that the WCO has dedicated an entire conference to the subject and theme.

This move, he said, not only recognizes the importance of border security, but dedicates working sessions and brainstorming opportunities to it.

This is “critical for us as a country as we go to the polls, but equally important for most countries on the continent, dare I say the world,” Buhari said.

He also briefed the WCO Secretary General and his team on his regime’s various efforts in combating the challenges of fragile borders.

They include the 2019 National Security Strategy, which promotes close inter-agency cooperation and the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which supports the armed forces in launching operations to secure the borders, demonstration of strong political will to support the Nigerian Customs Service as a critical agency of the state in the fulfillment of its security and tax mandates, among others.

Buhari also cited the approval of the Federal Executive Council for a new customs modernization project that actively promotes the integration of technology in border operations.

Dr. Mikuriya, thanking Nigeria for hosting the three-day conference, described the WCO as a 184-member global organization in which Nigeria plays an active and vibrant role.

He said customs authorities now need to go beyond revenue generation and delve into security, because “without security at the borders, we can’t collect revenue effectively.”

Mikuriya lamented that customs officials were often targeted by terrorists and armed groups, “which is why we need to cooperate with other security forces, share information and deploy technology.”