The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has warned that the 2023 general elections may not be held in Nigeria if the current spate of violence and insecurity continues unabated.
The Director, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office in the United Kingdom, Chris Beecroft, made the submission yesterday during the launch of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Peace and Inclusive Security Initiative (PISI) in Abuja. It added that the various calls for the country’s break up as well as cases of conflict in different parts of Nigeria are all threats to the 2023 election, noting that the country is at a critical juncture.
Beecroft identified active insurgency in the North-East; farmers-herders conflicts which are extending across the country, resource conflicts in the Niger Delta, the tension in the South-East and banditry in the North West as some of the major challenges.
The UK government official however said a solution is definitely possible, but requires all stakeholders to work together.
He noted that while the military and the police need to be strengthened, the solution to Nigeria’s security challenge does not lie in that alone but in reconciliation, mediation, arbitration, and access to justice as well.
He said: “We are at a critical juncture in Nigeria’s journey, and now is an important moment for new thinking and action to build a more peaceful future for all Nigerians”.
