By EMMANUEL ANTSWEN

President Bola Tinubu has called on traditional and religious leaders, women and youths in the North Central zone to strengthen collaboration with government and security agencies to tackle insecurity and build lasting peace.

Tinubu made the call at the 2026 North Central Regional Security Summit in Makurdi.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, Tinubu said traditional and religious leaders must strengthen early-warning mechanisms and serve as trusted voices for reconciliation in their communities.

He also urged citizens to provide timely intelligence to security agencies and reject the practice of shielding criminals because of kinship, ethnicity or other sentiments.

Tinubu said insecurity transcends state boundaries and institutional mandates, making collaboration among security agencies, governments and communities imperative.

“No single agency, no single tier of government and no single community can secure this region acting alone,” he said.

The president said his administration had strengthened the nation’s security architecture through enhanced collaboration among the Armed Forces, police and intelligence services.

He also said new military platforms and advanced capabilities had been acquired, while efforts were ongoing to rebuild Nigeria’s indigenous defence industry through the DICON Act.

Tinubu commended the security agencies for the gains against terrorists and other criminal elements, including the neutralisation of commanders, surrender of fighters and rescue of captives.

He, however, said military action alone cannot guarantee sustainable peace, stressing the need to address the social, economic and environmental factors driving insecurity.

“Military action alone will not deliver lasting peace to the North Central. Force can suppress violence; it cannot resolve the grievances that produce it,” he said.

The president identified competition over land and water, climate change, desertification, unresolved land-use issues, weak dispute-resolution mechanisms and illicit weapons as drivers of violent conflicts.

He said the Federal Government would continue to combine kinetic operations with development interventions, including modern livestock production, irrigation, mechanised agriculture, rural roads and access to credit.

Tinubu urged women and youths to take central roles in peace-building, describing young people as the region’s greatest asset.

He also called on development partners and the private sector to increase investment in the region, noting that employment and economic opportunities were essential to sustainable security.

“Peace and investment reinforce one another. Every factory built, every farm expanded and every young person employed in this region is a contribution to its security,” he said.

The president directed the Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Christopher Musa, to transmit the summit’s recommendation to him.

“I expect this gathering to produce clear and practical recommendations, each with an identified owner, a defined timeline and a measurable outcome,” he said.

Tinubu said the success of the Summit would ultimately be measured by whether people in the North Central experienced greater security and peace.

The president commended the Government and people of Benue for hosting the summit and praised the resilience of North Central communities confronting security challenges.

He said the regional engagements reflected his administration’s conviction that Nigeria’s security must be built from communities upwards, rather than exclusively from Abuja.

The 2026 North Central Regional Security Summit is the second in a series of regional security engagements, following the South-East Regional Security Summit held in Umuahia on July 30. (NAN)