A former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has challenged world leaders and the international community to rise to the challenges posed by international insecurity.
He made the call in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State at the 4th international colloquium, marking his 79th birthday on Friday.
The colloquium, which was attended by youths from 15 African countries, family members and friends of the former Nigerian President, was organized by the Centre for Human Security with the title; ‘Violent Extremism and Radicalization in Nigeria’.
Speaking on the topic, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar, called on political and religious leaders as well as leaders of thoughts in Nigeria to stand up and speak against the menace of terrorism especially the Boko Haram insurgency which has left thousands of people killed, billions of properties destroyed and millions of people displaced.
“The choice of the topic this time around is highly topical as violent extremism and radicalization, especially in Nigeria, is believed to be responsible for about 3.3 million displaced persons across the country.
“70% of this figure are children and women thought to be most vulnerable. This figure placed Nigeria as the third country with Internally Displaced Persons,” he said.
