Nigeria drops to 44th from 4th globally in peacekeeping operations, says NDC chief
National Defence College (NDC) has disclosed that Nigeria dropped to 44th in global ranking from its 4th position in the area of peacekeeping operations, just as he added further that the country also came down from its first spot to 19th in Africa.
According to Commandant of the NDC, Rear Admiral Murtala Bashir, internal security challenges had reduced the number of troops contributed by Nigeria to the global peace keeping operations across the world.
Rear Admiral Bashir, who made this known during the opening of the seminar on “Future of Peace Support Operations”, for participants of Course 31 of the college, Tuesday, in Abuja, said the country currently contributes 679 peacekeepers, deployed to various missions to enhance global Peace Support Operations.
“Nigeria currently has 310 peacekeepers which is inclusive of military, police and civilians in UN missions, 200 in ECOWAS missions, 54 in UN/AU Hybrid missions and 115 in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF),” he said.
The commandant added that Nigeria now ranked 44th instead of fourth globally and 19 instead of first in Africa.
“As at 2010, Nigeria was the 4th global contributor to peacekeeping and 1st in Africa with 5,815 troops deployed to various missions.
“However, due to the internal security challenges, which the country is grappling with, the country as at 2022 is now ranked 44 globally, and 19 in Africa.
“The UN General Assembly notes that PSO development has declined in about 10 countries globally which calls for alarm,” he said.
According to him, presently, the future of Peace Support Operations (PSOs) is uncertain because the threats to world peace and security, which require such intervention do not only continue to occur, but also present new and frightening dimensions particularly since 9/11.
“The future is also uncertain for the same reasons, as these new threats challenge state sovereignty, for example, the case of Somalia.
“More so, the combined international assets deployable in the planning and execution of peace operations are under increasing pressure to cope.
“In addition, owing to the digital era we are in, technology in the hands of the non-state armed groups have made peace difficult to keep,” he said.
Bashir said the development had queried the place for preventive deployment in diplomacy, protecting the protectors and also protection of civilians in peace operations.
“It is, therefore, important that the peacekeeping landscape leverage on the Fourth Industrial Revolution to improve on the protection of civilians as well as the protection of the protectors.”
He said that the current realities and the projections for the future of PSOs had great implications globally, regionally and also for Nigeria.
According to him, the seminar is borne out from the burning contemporary issues that have limited the operations of Peacekeeping, the uncertainty of the safety of peacekeepers and the attainment of its objectives.
