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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru at the 10th Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Meeting held in Rome, has hailed the unified front against terrorism by participating nations.
Addressing reporters during the event on Wednesday, Badaru characterised the summit as “a very good and robust engagement,” underscoring a shared global understanding of the necessity for multinational collaboration to eradicate terrorism, particularly in West Africa.
“The major takeaway is the fact that there is multinational cooperation in fighting against terrorism. All nations believe that if one country is sick because of terrorism, in no time, it will affect the other countries. So, countries around the world believe that together, we have to work and fight terrorism,” he explained.
Initiated by King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2015, the Aqaba Process convenes leaders, security experts, and policymakers to formulate joint approaches to counter violent extremism.
This year’s conference, jointly hosted by Italy and Jordan, concentrated on emerging security concerns in West Africa and the Sahel.
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Badaru highlighted the commitment of attending countries to enhance policy alignment, intelligence sharing, and pooling of resources to bolster regional and international anti-terrorism operations.
“The countries resolved to work together and provide both policy and solutions for multinational terrorism fight, and I believe it is very good for our country, being the leader in West Africa and the Sahel,” he stated.
Reflecting on the progress made since the Aqaba Process began, the Defence Minister noted the initiative’s success in reducing bureaucratic hurdles, facilitating candid and frequent discussions among world leaders.
“This meeting has really cut down bureaucracy; leaders meet freely and often, and have very frank and open discussions on ways and means to fight terrorism in the world. The focus now is West Africa, and I believe Nigeria stands to gain a lot from the cooperation that this meeting brings about,” he added.
Badaru further stressed that the collaboration fostered over the past decade through the Aqaba Process has significantly strengthened the coordination and sharing of counter-terrorism resources.
“Looking at the last 10 years, there has been a lot of support, a lot of collaboration between nations in the fight against terrorism,” he concluded.
