Defence Minister Assures Of Support To Arms Control Centre

By Frank Oshanugor

The Minister of Defence Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (retd) has declared total support for the National Centre of the Control of Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in the discharge of its tasks to halt illegal weapons in circulation.

General Magashi stated this when the 7-man Management Team of the National Centre of the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, led by its Pioneer National Coordinator Major General Aba  Muhammed Dikko (retd) paid a courtesy call on him at the Ministry of Defence Headquarters, Ship House Abuja.

He tasked the leadership of the Centre to sanitise the National Security Landscape by checkmating illegal  movements, manipulations and management of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the country in compliance with its mandate and International conventions.

While appreciating President Muhammadu Buhari for the establishment of the Centre and for the well deserved appointment of General  Dikko as the National Coordinator, he pledged the support of the Ministry to synergise efforts in stopping the  enfrontery and the parity in Weapons handling between the State Actors and Non- state actors.

 The National Coordinator of the Centre Major General Muhammed Dikko (retd) who had Served under General Magashi in ECOMOG, Liberia solicited the buy in of the Minister towards stabilizing the operations of the new outfit.

General Dikko said the Centre which is currently undergoing  considerations by the National Assembly to transform it into a full fledged Commission assured that he will be focused in pursuing its mandate.

Going forward in the discharge of the key functions of the Centre, he said the NCCSALW is leveraging Multi – sectoral and Multi – stakeholders in implementing all National, UN and  ECOWAS Plans of Action on the control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

He disclosed that plans to mainstream the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons into National discourse are on going just as efforts to put in place streamlining  mechanism for sharing of Weapons by security agencies as well as the establishment of a data base to checkmate proliferation and missing of  SALW are in the pipeline of action.

The National Coordinator opined that these strategies are aimed at changing the narratives of  impunity, and the audacity of the misusers of Weapons in the country.

The National Centre of the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons was established on May 3rd this year by President Muhammadu Buhari following the disbandment of the erstwhile Presidential Committee for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons and the subsequent appointment of the Pioneer National Coordinator Maj Gen AM Dikko.