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By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday approved the ratification of African Union Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation.

The Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, disclosed this while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Minister explained that the
Convention was initiated by the Federal Government of Nigeria during the conference of African Ministers in charge of borders on 29th May 2012 in Niamey, Niger Republic and adopted in Malabo Equatorial Guinea in 2014 and signed on the 29th January, 2017.

He said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented a memo to Council on the African Union Convention on Cross Border Cooperation, which is better known as the Niamey Convention. This Convention was initiated by the Federal Government of Nigeria during the conference of African ministers in charge of borders on the 29th of May 2012 in Niamey, Niger Republic and adopted in Malabo Equatorial Guinea in 2014.

“That simply explains why it is referred to as the Niamey Convention. As I said, Nigeria initiated and spearheaded the drafting of the Convention. Subsequently, Nigeria signed the Convention on the 29th of January, 2017. What we simply did today was to present the Convention to the Council for its approval and ratification by the president.

“The Convention aims to simply promote cross border cooperation at local, sub-regional and regional levels. This simply talks to our government’s foreign policy, which emphasizes on good neighbourliness; in other words, making good efforts to ensure that we live in peace with our immediate neighbours.

“This Convention equally intends to facilitate the delimitation, demarcation and reaffirmation of inter-state borders in conformity with mechanisms that have been agreed upon by the parties to this Convention. This Convention is aimed at facilitating peaceful resolution of border disputes between member states.

“It is also intended to promote peace and stability through the prevention of conflicts, the integration of the continent and the deepening of unity amongst member states. Equally very important is the fact that it provides opportunity to share intelligence between us and our neighbours. It also provides a mechanism for the promotion of economic integration of the continent, cross-border cooperation that will help trade facilitation and promote African Continental Free Trade Agreement which has just come into effect in the entire continent.

“It is our hope that this convention will enable Nigeria to harmonize activities at its numerous borders because we have very large borders as you are aware between us and our neighbours such that will enable us to achieve an integrated border management system.”

Ambassador Dada further said, “This is precisely what this convention intends to achieve. Like I said we did sign this since the convention on the 29th of January 2017. All we are doing now is seeking its ratification. Some other African countries have already signed on to it and have also ratified it. All we are doing is to give leadership to Africa by ensuring that we also ratify it so that it will come into effect.”