London — Voices of reason and "minds with noble thoughts" converging from all parts of Nigeria will give the country strength to overcome its current challenges.

Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto made the remark in a lecture he delivered at Chatham House, London, on Security and Sustainable Development in Northern Nigeria.

The governor, who stated that security and development were interdependent that one could not be attained without the other, said, "it is the firm belief of all rational and right-thinking citizens of Nigeria that hope is not lost on the future of our nation".

According to him, Nigeria "will soon come out victorious of the current security challenges" as it did during the civil war and regional security challenges such as the OPC and Niger-Delta militants.

"All that is required is for us to have joint and responsive governance from among the states and federal government as well as the society at large," he said stressing the importance of cooperation between the public and security agencies in combating violence and terrorism.

He warned against perceiving regional security challenges as regional problems, emphasising that security challenge in any part of the country is critical to security in the country as a whole.