President Muhammadu Buhari declared yesterday that with the formation of a stronger regional coalition, Nigeria and neighbouring countries now have an increased capacity to deal effectively with Boko Haram and other terrorist groups.
According to him, the full activation and deployment of the Multi National Joint Task Force which has been established under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission will lead to the speedy defeat and elimination of Boko Haram.
The president stated this 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.
Buhari said with the Command and Control Centre of the Nigerian military now in Maiduguri, Borno State, the morale of troops in the front-line states has 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”, the President told Chambas.
On the forthcoming elections in Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea and Burkina Faso, the President also called on the United Nations to assist African countries 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.
Buhari recalled that in the last general elections in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) used smart card readers to authenticate prospective voters, even as he 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.On his part, Ibn Chambas commended President Buhari for his strong and positive actions against terrorism, saying his successful visit to Cameroon this week and his reaffirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to the peaceful resolution of all border issues with Cameroon was a welcome development.
Orders Immediate Release Of N5bn For Victims, Says N33.54bn yet to be redeemed
Meanwhile President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday directed the Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi to facilitate the immediate release of the N5billion pledged by the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration since August 2014 for the Boko Haram Victims Support Fund (VSF).
The President gave the directive after the VSF presidential committee headed by Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd.) briefed him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Danjuma had informed President Buhari that out of the N55.92billion pledged at the fund-raising dinner for the Fund in August last year, N33.54billion outstanding was yet to be redeemed, including N5billion from the federal government.
He explained that, while his committee currently has N23.33billion in four bank accounts, the committee had received approval from the immediate past administration to incorporate the fund into a trust fund in order to “insulate it from political interference”.
Accordingly, Danjuma requested the president to use his office to persuade all organizations and individuals to honour their pledges to the committee.
After ordering immediate payment of the N5billion pledged by the federal government, President Buhari also urged the committee to ensure proper coordination with other government agencies providing support and assistance to victims of terrorism.
The President assured Danjuma and members of the VSF committee that his administration was taking proactive steps to defeat terrorism in the country.
He said that despite the challenge of acquiring much needed strategic equipment and weapons to confront the terrorists, the Nigerian military has recently gained much ground in its effort to defeat and degrade Boko Haram.
Danjuma also told journalists after meeting with the president that they informed the president about what the committee had done and what it plans to do in the nearest future.
He said, “You know we were launched during the fund raising which took place a year ago. The total amount of money that was pledged by various contributors was slightly more than N50 billion. Of this amount, only N23 billion have so far been redeemed. So, there is a lot of money out there.
“Of the organisations and individuals, that have not fulfilled their pledges, the federal government is one. We are expecting N5 billion from the federal government and the President promised today that he would honour the pledge of the Federal Government”.
On what the committee was doing to recover the funds pledged by others, the former Defence minister threatened that the committee may resort to publicly naming those who have refused to pay with a view to shaming them.
He said, “We plead with them quietly but we may also resort to naming and shaming. We will continue to ask people who pledged to honour their pledges. You the press should assist us in raising the fund.
“N20 billion is a drop in the ocean compared with the needs of the victims and if really the war stops tomorrow, already those displaced are really looking for support to go back to their homes and this N20 billion is nothing”.
We Share Information On Boko Haram With Nigeria – US
The United States has said it is supporting the Federal Government in terms of intelligence sharing in the fight against Boko Haram.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, stated this on Friday in a Facebook question and answer session.
Entwistle pointed out that the US government under President Barack Obama was doing its best to help Nigeria win the war against terrorism.
The envoy added, “No partner is doing more to help you against Boko Haram than the United States. We hope to train more of your troops; we are glad to discuss weapons transfers and we engage in significant information sharing, which I cannot discuss in detail in this setting.
“We also are doing everything we can to support the population of internally displaced Nigerians from the north-east and to help Nigeria create conditions that will prevent something like the scourge of Boko Haram from ever happening again in Nigeria.
“The US has for years had a beneficial working relationship with the Nigerian military, especially in the counter-terrorism struggle against Boko Haram. Now more than ever, we are committed to assisting our Nigerian partners as appropriate. That involves training, sharing of information and, in some cases, helping the Nigerian military with its equipment needs.
“The Leahy amendment requires that for all countries, we cannot train known human rights abusers or that our equipment be used in depredations against civilian populations.”
Entwistle noted that paying attention to human rights would not distract from fighting terrorists.
He explained that on the contrary, it would make for a stronger counter-terrorism effort since it allowed the military to keep civilian populations on their side in the midst of the incredibly difficult task of fighting terrorists, who did not care about human rights or protecting civilians.
On Nigeria’s stolen money allegedly in US banks, the ambassador stated that the US government was ready to continue its efforts to “find funds that were ‘looted out of the country’ and may now be in the US bank accounts.”
He, however, urged Nigerians to exercise patience, saying the process of finding the looted funds was an “extremely complicated process which takes detailed investigation.”
According to Entwistle, the cases can sometimes take time in the US courts.
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