By Odita Sunday
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has declared that dialogue and consultation must remain the bedrock of regional peace and international security, warning that confrontation only fuels instability.
Badaru made this declaration on Friday, September 19, 2025, while delivering the keynote lecture at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, themed “Upholding International Order and Promoting Peaceful Development.”
Addressing defence chiefs, diplomats, policymakers and academics from over 100 countries, the Minister insisted that inclusive engagement is the most reliable tool for preventing conflict and building lasting peace.
“Dialogue succeeds where confrontation fails. It is the foundation on which lasting security is built,” Badaru told the gathering.
Citing Nigeria’s track record in peacebuilding, he listed the country’s leadership in ECOWAS interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia; its contributions to the Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram; and domestic initiatives such as the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme and Operation Safe Corridor.
According to him, “even the most complex crises can be resolved when dialogue is paired with inclusion, legitimacy and sustained engagement.”
Badaru also linked Nigeria’s role to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that the country’s strategic autonomy and proactive diplomacy are central to regional and global peace.
“Domestic reform and multilateral cooperation are mutually reinforcing paths to security, stability and development,” he noted.
The Minister concluded with a call to the international community: “Global partners must embrace dialogue, consultation and collaboration as shared responsibilities in upholding international order and advancing peaceful development.”