Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo said on Tuesday that there was the need to review international legal instruments and conventions that govern warfare and conflicts in the light of the brutal operations of terrorists and insurgents around the world.
Osinbajo said this at the State House in Abuja during a meeting with 15 members of the United Nations Security Council led by the United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Mathew Rycroft.
“We must, on a global scale look again at how to deal with these new challenges. We need to look at the governing conventions, what type of legal categories, recognition of law we should give them (to the perpetrators of terror and insurgents). We need to re-examine how to deal with these individuals according to law,” he said.
He said Nigeria would progressively review the rules of engagement by the military and the nation’s security system, and take into considerations human rights issues, among others.
Osinbajo said the social investment programmes of the present administration including the Conditional Cash Transfer, the GEEP Micro Credit scheme and the N-Power job programme would address some of the developmental needs of the parts of the country affected by the insurgency.”we are already disbursing the cash transfers in some IDP camps and host communities,” he said.
He said government was also implementing a microcredit scheme and trying to use the social investment programmes to resuscitate local economies including through the Anchor Borrowers’ plan for farmers.
He urged the international community to support the federal government in the area of humanitarian response, describing the challenge as “massive.”
He said government is also in the process of passing the Northeast Development Commission Bill that would deal with some of the long term developmental issues.
In his remarks, Ambassador Mathew Rycroft, praised the Nigerian government for its handling of the humanitarian challenges in the Northeastern part of the country.
He called for a long term developmental outlook in the region that would address issues of good governance, human rights, women’s participation, economic revival, education and jobs.
