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From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Samuela Isopi, has said that human capital development is the surest way to ending insecurity in the country.
This was even as Isopi said the number of out of school children in the Northwest is very high, adding that the development will trigger insecurity in the region in future if not addressed.
Isopi spoke during the pre-departure orientation event for over 200 young Nigerians who have received the 2022 postgraduate scholarships offered by the EU under its ErasmusPlus Programme.
The event held concurrently with the Study in Europe Fair jointly organised by the EU and its member states (France, Spain, Finland and The Netherlands).
Isopi said: “We are doing a lot of things. But it is also true that one important aspect of security itself is somehow related to the human capital.
“You need to provide the opportunities. And if you educate and connect people, you expose people to other cultures, first of all, you contribute to strengthen the skills that can be used by the persons to be something else and not to become pirates, not to become terrorists, but to have really, opportunities to contribute to building the country.”
Isopi further said she was sure that if the government can improve the quality of lives of Nigerians, especially young Nigerians, giving them something, helping them in terms of prospective, ideas about the future, it will have quite an important impact on security in the country.
Isopi who also opened up on the EU’s activities in the country, particularly in the area of security, said the EU is supporting the situation in the Northeast and the Lake Chad Basin, the Multinational Joint Task Force which is based in Chad and included the five countries of the Lake Chad Basin.
Nigeria, Isopi stated, is one of the first country to benefit from the cooperation where the EU is the major donor.
She however said the EU is trying to see if it can do more, especially to support specifically Nigeria, which is the most exposed.
Isopi further explained that in the Northeast, the EU also contributes and trying to help populations in terms of livelihood, in terms of prospective and social services.
“We will start working in a more structured way also in the Northwest, targeting in particular, education because the number of out of school children there is very high and if you don’t address the issue, the security challenges will be even more serious in the years to come,” Isopi stated.
