By Augustine Ehikioya
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Buratai (Rtd.) has insisted that no meaningful development can be achieved in any Nation without peace and security.
According to him, such development should not be left to the government alone.
He spoke in Nasarawa State during the Ground Breaking Ceremony and Fundraising for the Tukur Buratai Research Centre (TBRC). The event was covered by Security Watch Africa (SWA).
The former Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) said that the TBRC is his modest way of contributing to national development and giving back to society.
He also said that he believed that the TBRC will fill existing gap in the polity through research and policy development in areas like security, defence, peace, conflict management, climate change, leadership and development.
He said “In terms of economic growth, development involves expanding the economy’s size or speed to produce more goods and services. The idea has been that if an economy produces more goods and services, humans will have a better standard of living.
“Many traditional development strategies aim to expand the economy (economic growth) in order to increase product and service output. Of course, producing more goods and services will necessitate more raw resources, energy, and trash, regardless of the underlying economic processes.
“Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, this then is the crux of the matter; we need development in every sector of our national life, and this is something that should not be left for the government alone to do.
“As I have said in so many fora, there can be no real development without security and peace, and in the same vain, there must be economic opportunities, equity and justice for security and peace to exist which in turn serves as the foundation or pillars of development.
“TBRC will devote attention to the interplay between these critical factors taking cognisance of our environment and its peculiarities with a view to coming up with policies that can help the government. Our objective is geared towards a more secured and better Nigeria for all Nigerians,” he said.
Buratai stressed that one of the factors that helped the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries is strong and innovative think-tanks.
“I believe that there exists a gap in our polity that TBRC as a think-tank can fill through research and policy development especially in the areas of security and defence, peace, conflict management, climate change, leadership and development.”
He said “TBRC is our modest way of contributing to national development and giving back to society through a well-thought-out approach that we believe will have a long-lasting impact on the country.
“As indicated in the schedule of activities, TBRC is collaborating with Nasarawa State University, Keffi, in the fields of strategic studies, peace and conflict studies, and leadership for development.
“What we are about to do today is the ground-breaking ceremony and appeal fundraiser for the TBRC Complex.
Explaining why a retired military officer is going into research, he said “My simple philosophy about life is to continue to live a life of value by improving on the system that we have, and as someone coming from the military, I reckoned that the best way for me and my associates to add value to our society and make our country better and stronger is through a think-tank like TBRC.”
The Special Guest of Honour and Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, thanked Amb. Yusuf Buratai for the research center in the State.
He also recalled how Buratai assisted the State while in service.
He said “At the peak of Boko Haram, Nasarawa State was one of the safest State in Nigeria because of what you have done.”
On behalf of the State, the Governor announced N50million initial donation for the project.
Giving reason for the collaboration, the Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Professor Suleiman Bala Mohammed noted that the vision aligned with that of the University.
“We commend Amb. Yusuf Buratai for giving back to the society,” he stated.
Dignitaries at the ceremony included the former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Ali Ndume, representative of the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General G. K. Nwosu, and traditional rulers.