Abubakar AbdulJalil Sulaiman, Secretary General of the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission for Cooperation, has called on the two countries to combat acts of terrorism with technology.
According to Sulaiman, new ICT tools can greatly help the two neighboring nations to improve their information sharing which is essential to enhance both countries’ Early Warning System (EWS).
Concerning the importance of the EWS, he said it is helpful in the fight against terrorism which is fast becoming a menace in both countries. Another application of the EWS is in the area of disaster management.
Sulaiman was speaking at a meeting of the Committee of Experts on Information Matters in Abuja. In his remark, he noted the ongoing trans-boundary terrorism, human and drug trafficking.
He added there is a growing concern about the increasing rate of small arms and light weapons proliferation in the West African region.
To adequately tackle this, he said Nigeria and Niger Republic must bring about free flow of information between the governments of both countries.
The Secretary General also urged members of the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission for Cooperation Committee to pin-point the critical areas that will bring about exchange programmes between both countries that will educate and are in the best interest of Niger republic and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Labaran Maku, Nigeria’s Information Minister, said the meeting focused on evaluating the progress report on exchange of television and radio programmes between the two nations.
