‘Nigeria’s Porous Borders Fuelling Insecurity’, Says Jerry Gana

Former Minister of Information and elder statesman, Professor Jerry Gana, has raised the alarm implicit Nigeria’s worsening borderline insecurity, informing that the country’s porous borders were fuelling the influx of arms, transgression elements, and rising unit nationwide.

Speaking successful Abuja connected Monday astatine an lawsuit to people the 2025 International Day of Peace and the 25th day of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Prof. Gana urged the Federal Government to determination beyond acknowledging the occupation to instrumentality urgent enactment to unafraid Nigeria’s territorial boundaries.

“Our borders are porous. People tin travel successful anytime, immoderate day, anyhow, and bash immoderate they like. It is not responsible. It is not proper,” helium lamented.

Gana stressed that insecurity would persist unless decisive measures were taken to safeguard the nation’s borders, adding that peace, comfort, and prosperity would stay elusive without security.

“The Federal Government indispensable instrumentality the contented of unafraid borders seriously. Otherwise, insecurity volition proceed to truly reign successful Nigeria, and bid and comfortableness volition not beryllium our domain,” helium warned.

Gana further explained that without peace, development, prosperity, and adjacent Nigeria’s nationalist endurance would beryllium nether terrible threat.

According to him, bid should not beryllium mistaken for the specified lack of conflict.

“Peace is not conscionable the soundlessness of guns. Peace is justness successful action. Peace is enactment with integrity. Peace is equitable organisation and fairness,” helium said.

The erstwhile curate besides described the planetary diminution successful peacefulness arsenic a superior menace to humanity and urged Nigerian authorities to prioritize equity, fairness, and nationalist information successful governance.

He said the 2025 International Day of Peace, themed “Act Now for a Peaceful World”, was precise apt, describing it arsenic some “a solemnisation of anticipation and a summons to urgent action.”

Also, speaking astatine the event, the Director General of IPCR, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, underscored the urgent request for semipermanent and coordinated investments successful peacebuilding, particularly arsenic Nigeria faces progressively analyzable information challenges specified arsenic convulsive extremism, interior conflict, disinformation, and economical inequality.

“The satellite contiguous is simply a analyzable tapestry of challenges, from geopolitical tensions to interior strife, from economical inequality to climate-induced conflict, from convulsive extremism to divisive narratives successful societal media.

“In the look of these headwinds, the connection of bid is not a whisper; it is simply a powerful, urgent clarion call,” helium said.

Ochogwu stressed that bid indispensable beryllium seen not simply arsenic the lack of warfare but arsenic the beingness of justice, equity, and dignity.

He pointed to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda arsenic a argumentation model that could enactment peacebuilding efforts, though helium warned that implementation remained a captious challenge.

“In the tone of the International Day of Peace, fto america recommit ourselves to gathering a satellite wherever bid is not an aspiration, but a lived reality,” helium added.

The IPCR, established successful 2000 arsenic a authorities deliberation vessel connected struggle prevention and resolution, marked its 25th day astatine the event.

Despite specified efforts, Nigeria’s information concern remains dire.

Data from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) shows that astatine slightest 2,266 radical were killed successful convulsive incidents successful the archetypal fractional of 2025—more than treble the 1,083 deaths recorded successful the aforesaid play of 2024.

One of the astir caller attacks occurred connected August 19, erstwhile equipped bandits stormed a mosque successful Unguwan Mantau, Katsina State, sidesplitting astatine slightest 50 worshippers during aboriginal greeting prayers.

The International Day of Peace, besides officially known arsenic World Peace Day, is simply a United Nations vacation observed annually connected September 21.

Globally, the 2025 Global Peace Index revealed that portion 74 countries recorded improvements successful peacefulness, 87 experienced deterioration.