We have increased capacity to deal with Boko Haram – Buhari
Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria and neighbouring countries now have an increased capacity to deal effectively with Boko Haram and other terrorist groups.
Buhari stated this in Abuja on Friday at an audience with Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa.
He hinged his remark on the formation of a stronger regional coalition.
The President reaffirmed his belief that the full activation and deployment of the Multi National Joint Task Force which had been established under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission would lead to the speedy defeat and elimination of Boko Haram.
He added that with the Command and Control Centre of the Nigerian military now in Maiduguri, Borno, the morale of troops in the front-line states had improved significantly.
“You can tell the Secretary-General that we are doing our best and our best will be good enough for the nation and the sub-region’’, he told Ibn Chambas.
Against the background of upcoming elections in Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea and Burkina Faso, the President also called on the United Nations to assist African in the acquisition and use of innovative technologies to ensure more credible elections.
“When citizens recognize that their votes count, it will boost their confidence in democracy and their countries’ electoral systems”, he said.
Recalling the last general elections in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), used smart card readers to authenticate prospective voters.
Buhari observed that while Nigeria could afford the use of such technology in its elections, other African countries may require support and assistance from the international community.
Ibn Chambas commended President Buhari for his strong and positive actions against terrorism.
The United Nations envoy also welcomed President Buhari’s successful visit to Cameroon and his reaffirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to the peaceful resolution of all border issues with Cameroon. (NAN)
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1 Comments
I agree with you Mr President. Except that we have to be courageous enough to admit that this “capacity to degrade and eliminate Boko Haram” was acquired only by means of those semi-high-tech military hardware Jonathan/Sambo Dasuki managed to obtain under-the-counter i.e. without “due process,” after America encircled Nigeria with arms embargo through dubious application of the Leahy Act. And Nigerians do know that even after the exit of Jonathan and Dasuki, Nigeria has acquired not a single sophisticated weapons for our military, also, owing to America’s duplicitous application of its Leahy Act. In the circumstance, there is absolutely no way we could have acquired capacity to degrade and eliminate Boko Haram or fought and been fighting Boko Haram with our bare-hands, even with the best of diplomatic arrangements with our neighbours or anybody.
What is required now, Mr President, is to work on the attitude and disposition of our own citizens to see the need to own the fight against Boko Haram. Luckily, in this regard, it is gratifying to note that the Nigeria press has backed down from its dubios role of demoralizing the Federal Government and the Nigeria Military in this war: hitherto, I could recall, whenever there was a bomb explosion or Boko Haram attack, the press will headline and showcase Nigerians who mocks with such phrases as “There is no government in this country.” Happily, now, even though Boko Haram has heightened its murderous activities since May 29, 2015, the Nigerian press has desisted from deriding and mocking the Federal Govt and our military. That is how it should be. The next phase now is to sensitize the civil populace, especially in the North, to own the effort against Boko Haram by volunteering information to security agencies timeously sincerely and accurately. For the day ALL segments and citizens of Nigeria desisted from having even the slightest of sympathies for Boko Haram or its “cause,” Boko Haram shall be completely defeated.
So far, Jonathan/Sambo Dasuki under-the-counter acquired weapons remain the only capacity we have over Boko Haram.
We will review and take appropriate action.