Tunji-Ojo: Make Border Communities Partners in Nigeria’s Security Strategy

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has called for a stronger partnership among universities, security agencies, regional institutions, development partners, and border communities to strengthen Nigeria’s border security, migration management, and regional integration.

Tunji-Ojo spoke on Monday at the opening of the African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE) 2026 conference in Lagos.

He said border communities must be treated as active partners in securing Nigeria’s frontiers rather than merely as populations requiring protection.

The minister, represented by his Senior Adviser on Policy Research, Dr. Kareem Olajoku, said the involvement of border communities could improve early warning mechanisms, conflict prevention, and overall border management.

The four-day conference, co-hosted by Lagos State University (LASU) and ABORNE, had as its theme, “Connected Borderlands, Socio-Cultural Integration, and the Centrality of Policy, Research, and Security.”

According to Tunji-Ojo, Nigeria’s evolving security and migration challenges require closer collaboration between policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, with decisions increasingly driven by evidence and realities on the ground.

“Building a resilient borderline, therefore, requires us to see border communities not merely as populations to be secured but as partners in security, peace, and development,” he said.

He stated that border communities were often the first to experience the consequences of insecurity, irregular migration, and other cross-border challenges, making their participation crucial to developing effective and sustainable responses.

The minister said research should also move beyond explaining past developments to helping governments anticipate emerging threats and formulate practical responses.

He highlighted ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s migration and border management system, including improvements in biometric identity systems, passport administration, automated border control, and technology-enabled border security.

He said the measures reflected the federal government’s determination to build a modern border management system capable of protecting national security while facilitating legitimate travel, trade, and regional mobility.

Tunji-Ojo also stressed the importance of Lagos as the host location for the conference, describing the state as a major gateway for the movement of people and goods through its land connections, seaports, and international airports.

He said Lagos provided an appropriate setting for examining the complex relationship between security, mobility, trade, community interaction, and regional integration.

The minister commended LASU and ABORNE for bringing scholars, policymakers, security practitioners, and development partners together, describing the collaboration as an example of how academic research and practical experience could be combined to address contemporary security challenges.

He urged participants to move beyond identifying the challenges confronting Africa’s borderlands and concentrate on developing practical, collaborative and sustainable solutions.

Tunji-Ojo described ABORNE 2026 as more than an academic gathering, saying it provides an important platform for strengthening the link between knowledge and action, communities and institutions, as well as national security and regional cooperation.

He expressed hope that partnerships established during the conference would continue beyond the event and research generated from the discussions would influence policymaking and operational practice across Nigeria and the wider African continent.

Earlier, Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, said the hosting of the conference was more than an international academic engagement, describing it as an affirmation of the university’s commitment to producing research that responds to Nigeria’s realities and Africa’s development needs.

Olatunji-Bello said Africa needed a new generation of scholars and professionals who understood that borders were not simply geographical lines but spaces shaped by communities, livelihoods, identity, security, development, and human mobility.

She said universities must go beyond observing the realities to understanding and interrogating them, while contributing to the development of policies and practices that govern borderlands.

The vice chancellor urged researchers and policymakers to ensure that knowledge generated from borderland studies translated into practical interventions capable of improving security, development, and the welfare of communities living along Africa’s borders.