The European Union (EU) is set to provide €20 million in defence support to Nigerian Armed Torces.
This is contained in a statement on Saturday by Leah Katung-Babatunde, the media aide to the Minister of Defence.
Ms Katung-Babatunde said the discussion took place when the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, received the EU ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, and his delegation at the Ship House, Abuja.
She said Mr Mignot was on a working visit to discuss critical bilateral defence agreements, including a review of security cooperation between Nigeria and the EU.
According to her, Mr Mignot commended the minister for his efforts in changing the security dynamics in the country and invited him to a meeting of ministers of defence in Brussels later in the year.
She also said the engagement centred on modalities for the EU’s bilateral assistance of €20 million for the AFN under the European Peace Facility (EPF).
Ms Katung-Babatunde further said the ambassador revealed that an EU technical delegation would be visiting Nigeria in November to agree on delivery details.
She said Mr Musa was expressing gratitude to the EU for consistency in supporting Nigeria and assured the ambassador of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring the safety of Nigerians and development of the country.
The minister said relative peace was gradually returning to troubled parts of the country due to the efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies.
He, however, noted that kidnapping along major highways and attacks on isolated communities persisted and were being tackled.
“In this regard, Nigeria is expecting the delivery of 10 attack helicopters, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and other major enablers,” Mr Musa said.
He revealed that the shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin, on which more than 50 million people depended, remained a potential source of instability.
Mr Musa stressed that denying terrorists holding areas on the Lake Chad Islands remained a key operational priority for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
On Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, Musa emphasised that it would prioritise victims, including affected military personnel.
(NAN)
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