By SUMAILA OGBAJE

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has reiterated the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to return farmers who had been displaced by insecurity, to their communities and farms to boost food security.

Ribadu stated this during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Counter Terrorism Centre – Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA) and International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on Friday in Abuja.

He said that agriculture was the worst hit by insecurity, creating food scarcity for over 150 million population.

He said the government was committed to give the people their lives back, saying he agreed with the popular adage that ‘a hungry man is an angry man’ that people were justified to feel that they were not properly taken care of.

“It is our job. It is our duty. We are taking it as our responsibility and it is a good thing.

“The members of the security forces are very dedicated and they have committed themselves to work to see how to secure our country and make our people to live in peace.

“Security is about comparison of what were we before and what are we today, and hopefully where are we going.

“If you compare what was happening before the coming of this administration, people in Zamfara will probably testify to that. The same thing will be put in Borno or Kaduna State,” he said.

The National Coordinator of NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, said the centre remains firmly committed to a comprehensive, non-kinetic approach to preventing and countering violent extremism, in line with the strategic guidance of the National Security Adviser.

Laka said that while kinetic responses remained necessary, they alone could not bring about sustainable peace.

According to him, the root causes of violent extremism such as poverty, marginalisation, and lack of opportunity must be addressed through inclusive, whole-of-government and whole-of-society solutions.

“Our Disarmament, Deradicalisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, as exemplified by Operation SAFE CORRIDOR in Gombe State, has already yielded significant gains, with many low-risk former combatants successfully rehabilitated and reintegrated.

“As we expand similar efforts in the North-West, it has become increasingly evident that economic reintegration pathways are vital for sustaining these efforts and ensuring long-term peace.

“It is in this context that we consider agriculture as a critical tool for driving economic empowerment, restoring livelihoods and promoting social cohesion in conflict-affected communities.

“Accordingly, we partnered with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, a leading nonprofit research organisation established in 1967, which focuses on enhancing food security, reducing poverty, and promoting sustainable agriculture across sub-Saharan Africa, for the agribusiness and livelihood project,” he said.

The Deputy Director-General of IITA, Dr Denshell Kenton, said the MoU was another good example of how government shows commitment to the noble cause.

Kenton said the combination of their knowledge and experiences would make a powerful team that would have a big success.

He added that the focus was on long-term, sustainable, positive changes that would lead to communities becoming much better places to live.

“I support the approach that NCTC and IIT have developed together to solve both poverty and violent extremism.

“The way we do it is through integrated agriculture approach. I believe we will be successful,” he said. (NAN)