Nigeria spends $13bn on peace-keeping – Ex-Polish envoy

Nigeria spends $13bn on peace-keeping
– Ex-Polish envoy
on october 31, 2013 at 5:37 am in news
By JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU
ABUJA—FORMER Polish Ambassador to  Nigeria,
Grezgorz Walinski has said that Nigeria has spent
about $13 billion on peacekeeping operations since
1960 and has also sent over 250,000 members of
the Nigerian armed forces to the United Nation’s
sponsored missions worldwide.
Ambassador Walinski disclosed this at the
stakeholders’ dinner reception for the Nigeria
Security Exhibition and Conference, 2014, organised
by First Security Guards Limited in Abuja.
He noted that despite the numerous contributions of
the country in peace operations, it was assumed
that the country had not taken full advantage of its
active participation in the numerous peace
operations around the world by not getting
commensurate economic, military and political
remuneration for its participation.
He cited countries like Ghana that had also
participated in numerous UN PSOs but generated
funds through the process to defray the costs of
sustaining its military, while Nigeria on the other
hand had largely allegedly deprived itself of such
benefits.
According to him, the country started peacekeeping
operations few days after her independence in 1960
in Congo and since then, the country’s forces have
participated in many operations across the globe
under varying international legal authority executing
a variety of operational mandates.
He said: “Her contribution to the UN peacekeeping
operations is only surpassed by those of India,
Pakistan and Bangladesh. Over 250,000 members
of the Nigerian armed forces have participated in
UN sponsored missions worldwide.”
“Having been involved in 40 of the 55 peacekeeping
missions of the UN, Nigeria has now participated in
73 percent of all UN peacekeeping operations. Four
of these missions have been commanded by
Nigeria senior military officers. Nigeria currently
has about 6, 000 peacekeepers in various
flashpoints, 4, 000 of which are in Darfur, Sudan,”
he stated.
The former Polish Ambassador to Nigeria further
said that many potential conflicts were effectively
prevented due to Nigerian diplomacy. Therefore,
Nigeria’s direct involvement as chief mediator in a
number of territorial disputes and crises effectively
allowed to avoid them and in consequence
eliminated the threat of their development into full-
scale conflicts.
Ambassador Walinski noted that the international
community was getting fatigued and increasingly
reluctant to intervene in Africa’s conflicts, adding,
“During last two decades, we witnessed gradual but
inevitable shift from foreign intervention carried on
by European military contingents to establishments
and strengthening of Africa’s own capability to
prevent, to monitor and to resolve crises which
inevitably will erupt.”
He said that the country was faced with myriads of
security challenges but added that the “Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Professor Viola Onwuliri has
assured the international community that Nigeria
would continue to work in the area of preventive
diplomacy.”
He said the main problem of the country was
terrorism, though it would not change the country’s
position as regional leader, stressing that the
country had always succeeded in learning from her
experiences and making her experiences the
source of even greater power.
He also said that the idea of organizing the security
exhibition at the FCT was important as it served as
a forum where all actors both state and private
sectors and those that have the right to use power
and those who can supply them with the products
would come together and discuss security matters
and also proffer solutions.
Speaking earlier, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of First Security Guards who also is the
chief organizer of NISEC, 2014, Frank Ohwafa said
the reception was organized to bring together all
stakeholders in preparation for the 2014 Nigeria
Security Exhibition and Conference, NISEC,
homeland security show.
Ohwafa said First Security Guards had in the past
collaborated with other security agencies in areas
of capacity building and competence needed in an
ever changing environment to fight and combat
crime and criminality.
“In year 2007, First Security Guards signed a
partnership with the Nigeria Police to train and
retrain her personnel in contemporary policing and
crime fighting,” he stated and commended the
National Security Adviser for using his office and
appointment to promote peace and security,
enduring lasting security platforms for better
coordination of the security agencies.