Nigeria Economy Cannot Thrive With Insecurity – Southwest Coordinator for NCCSALW

By Udesinanna Stephen 

The Southwest Zonal Coordinator of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Mr. Benson Sola Akinlade has said the Nigeria economy can not thrive in an unsecured environment, emphasizing the importance of the Arms Control Centre to keep the Country safe.

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The Coordinator delivered a keynote address at the Treasure Newspaper Nigeria Limited’s first public lecture recently held in Akure, Ondo state. The lecture focused on “Home Grown Economy as Roadmap to Economic Sustainability: Examining the Prospects under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration.”

Akinlade emphasized that the economic sustainability is inseparable from security, as no economy can thrive in an unsecured environment. He highlighted the NCCSALW’s efforts to include the prevention and control of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, having successfully mopped up thousands of illicit weapons.

However, Akinlade raised concerns about an allegedly unauthorized outfit, National Commissions/Committees on the Control of SALW (NATCOM), suspected to forcefully present themselves as the focal organization for small arms control.

“The action of these unauthorized bodies has the propensity to further compound the already complex task of Small Arms and Light Weapons Control and may potentially result in confusion and lack of credibility leading to administrative disputes, which may hinder the Centre from carrying out its mandate effectively”, he said.

He urged the media organizations to support the Centre’s advocacy efforts and report accurately on small arms proliferation issues.

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