Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, has expressed optimism that Nigeria will benefit greatly from renewed international collaboration against terrorism following its participation in the 10th Aqaba Process Summit held in Rome.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Abubakar said the summit—hosted for the first time by Italy in partnership with Jordan—offered Nigeria and other West African nations a unique opportunity to strengthen cooperation in addressing growing regional insecurity.
“The 10th Aqaba Summit cuts down bureaucracy and allows leaders to meet freely and have frank discussions on ways to fight terrorism. The focus now is on West Africa, and I believe Nigeria stands to gain a lot from the cooperation this meeting brings,” he stated.
According to the minister, the summit emphasised practical measures such as intelligence sharing, counter-radicalisation initiatives, and joint military operations, which are crucial to bolstering Nigeria’s ongoing counter-terrorism campaigns.
Abubakar described the Aqaba Process as a forum that encourages open dialogue and swift coordination among global leaders, removing the bureaucratic bottlenecks that often hinder progress in international security efforts.
He also noted that Nigeria’s active participation, led by President Bola Tinubu, reaffirmed the country’s leadership role in regional security matters. Abubakar added that the relationships built at the summit would enhance Nigeria’s access to technical support, intelligence networks, and strategic partnerships vital for combating terrorism.
Reflecting on the decade-long progress of the Aqaba Process, Abubakar praised the growing spirit of global solidarity against extremism, citing improvements in intelligence cooperation and operational support among participating nations.
The Rome summit brought together world leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Déby, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé, and Algeria’s Upper House President Azouz Nasri, along with high-level delegations from Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Senegal, and Uzbekistan.
