Nigeria has assumed the one month rotational Chairmanship of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) for the month of April.
The Nigerian Permanent Representative to the AU, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, takes over from Ambassador Zackariaou Maiga, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Niger, who held the Chairmanship for the month of March, 2018.
In view of Nigeria’s contributions to peace and security at the sub-regional and continental levels, the country has sustained its membership of this most vital mechanism since inception in 2004.
The Peace and Security Council is the standing decision-making organ of the African Union, which is patterned along the United Nations Security Council to enforce Union Decisions, particularly in matters relating to the maintenance of regional and continental peace and security.
Crucial in Nigeria’s Chairmanship of the African Union Peace and Security Council for the month of April will be focus on the addressing the threats posed by Nuclear Weapons and the imperative of preventing terrorists from accessing these weapons of mass destruction, and their control regimes, including the urgent need for the promotion of peaceful uses of Nuclear Energy.
Importantly, the PSC will consider the nexus between Corruption & Conflict Resolution and the Imperative of promoting good economic policies in the context of Nigeria’s Championing of the 2018 AU annual theme on anti-corruption under the leadership of H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari.
Also to be considered by the Council during the period of Nigeria’s Chairmanship are: the need for Effective take-off of the AU Humanitarian Agency (AUHA), and ameliorating the Impact of Terrorism and Armed Conflict on Africa’s Social Fabric.
Essentially, Nigeria as chairperson of the Council will prioritize the operationalization of the African Standby Force, which is a key element of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the Sustainable Financing of the African Union Peace Support Operations with particular emphasis on the African Peace Fund.
The Council will also embark on a Field Mission in solidarity to the good people of South Sudan and to ascertain the level of progress of the peace process in that country being led by the IGAD and supported by the African Union and its partners.
Overall, with the support of other members of the Council, Nigeria will use its month-long presidency to actively promote sub-regional and continental peace and security in line with the principles of the AU Constitutive Act, UN Charter and the mandate of the Council.
