Only African-led, legally-grounded security initiatives free from the involvement of private military and security companies will guarantee lasting peace on the continent, Nigeria has warned.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sounded the warning yesterday at the first plenary session on Peace, Security, Governance and Multilateralism during the 7th AU–EU Summit in Luanda, Angola.
He insisted that Africa must own and drive its peace architecture if the continent is to overcome insurgency, military coups, and political instability.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the President said the resurgence of private military actors in African conflicts “complicates resolution efforts and undermines state sovereignty.”
He stressed that peace and security interventions must be “co-created with African partners and anchored in African-led frameworks,” adding that externally imposed solutions, however well-intentioned, often fail without strong regional ownership.
Alongside this stance, Nigeria intensified its longstanding advocacy for full-scale reform of the global governance system, renewing the demand for permanent seats with veto-wielding authority for Africa on the UN Security Council.
“It is time for Africa to occupy permanent seats on the UN Security Council, with all attendant privileges, including the veto,” Tinubu said.
He called for the commencement of “genuine text-based negotiations” under the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) framework.
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According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Tinubu urged EU member states to back Africa’s “long-standing and legitimate” demand for global governance reforms.
The President explained that Nigeria’s combination of kinetic and non-kinetic measures, complemented by regional partnerships, has yielded significant progress.
He noted that over 250,000 Boko Haram-affiliated individuals had surrendered early this year, while a central component of the strategy has led to more than 120,000 additional insurgent elements and family members laying down their arms.
He said the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad Basin remains a model of African-led cooperative security, while Nigeria’s recent Sea-Lift Agreement with the AU Standby Force (ASF) has boosted rapid deployment capacities for peacekeeping and humanitarian missions.
Tinubu highlighted the interconnected challenges of armed conflict, illicit weapons flow, climate pressures, irregular migration, and political instability.
He urged a renewed AU–EU commitment to preventive diplomacy, inclusive governance, and long-term investment in people and infrastructure.
On irregular migration, he cautioned that criminalising mobility was counterproductive, proposing instead, structured labour pathways such as Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) arrangements, options he said would enable Europe to benefit from Africa’s skilled youth without encouraging unsafe migration routes.
“Seasonal mobility has underpinned West African civilisation for centuries. Our joint task is to convert mobility into safe, orderly, and productive pathways that benefit both continents”, he said.
Condemning the resurgence of Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCGs), Tinubu argued that coups undermine the AU’s founding democratic ethos and are often linked to external pressures that distort fragile political systems.
To counter this, he said Nigeria and its neighbours have launched the Regional Partnership for Democracy (RPD), a framework that strengthens constitutional order, counters disinformation, and supports governance reforms across West Africa.
He also expressed concern about ongoing conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan, noting that the Sudan crisis alone has caused over 40,000 deaths and displaced more than 12 million people.
He urged external powers fuelling conflicts to be held accountable and called for sustained international diplomatic engagement.
Commending the EU’s longstanding support for the AU, particularly since the establishment of the African Peace and Security Architecture in 2002, Tinubu reiterated that “externally driven initiatives cannot succeed at pace without strong regional ownership and grounded understanding of local dynamics.”
He said: “Nigeria remains steadfast in its resolve to promote democratic governance, stability, and peace across Africa.
“As the world witnesses a diminishing commitment to multilateralism, the EU remains a platform for collaboration, anchored on mutual respect and shared aspirations,” he said.
