President Bola AHmed Tinubu yesterday said he appointed Northerners into major defence positions because of their knowledge of the region.

“Our first decision was to task our brothers from the Northwest and the Northeast to rise in defence of the security of the region. “Who else can better understand the complexity of the region than the people themselves,’’ he said.

President Tinubu spoke at the opening of a two-day United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP)-sponsored Northwest Peace and Security Summit in Katsina.

He was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Some Northerners holding sensitive security posts are Minister of Defence Abubakar Badaru; Minister of Defence (State) Bello Matawale; National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu; Chief of Defence Staff (COAS) General Christopher Musa and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar.

For insecurity in the North to abate, people of the region must rise in unison against terrorists and other criminal elements that have for over a decade denied them peace, President Tinubu said.

This position was supported by the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III.

They stated that doing so would complement the strategies adopted by the government and the Armed Forces to restore peace in the region hitherto known for its tranquillity and cohesion.

The theme of the summit graced by eminent personalities like former President Muhammadu Buhari, four of the seven Northwest governors, and Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru, is: “Regional cooperation for securing lives and livelihoods in Northwest Nigeria.’’

President Tinubu said even though the various strategies adopted by his administration to tackle the security challenges in the North were yielding results, the people needed to complement the success.

Tinubu, whose address at the event was titled: “Securing stability: uniting for peace in Northwest Nigeria,” reiterated his administration’s commitment to completely eradicating terrorism and other forms of crime.

Describing the summit as a communal gathering to address “the afflictions that have threatened the stability and unity” of the North, the President attributed the lingering crisis in the zone to a fractured relationship by a people “rooted in a culture and bond of shared interests and common pursuits.’’

He said: “What we are witnessing across the North is an explosion of damaged relationships, and we have come to say: enough is enough.

“I am proud to share that the strategies we have employed have begun to provide redemption. We are not slowing down until we achieve our aim.

“Beyond the economic rationale that drove the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria, the formation of our great nation was inspired by the need for mutual protection.

“But, I ask, how can we achieve this sacred objective if one part is afflicted?“We have long established that whatever ails any part of this federation destabilises the other.

“So, the issue of national security in the Northwest is not a sectional agenda.

“We promised to make Nigeria safer, and this aim has been our topmost priority since we came to office over a year ago.”

Noting that the steps taken to combat the security challenges his administration inherited were mapped out even before embarking on the journey, President Tinubu observed that achieving security and peace would require that the historical injustices that have torn communities in Nigeria apart are fully addressed.