Having
heard discouraging statements from Nigerians that it’s impossible for the
country to defeat insurgency, President Muhammadu Buhari , Friday assured Janez
Lenarcic, the European Union (EU) Commissioner for Crisis Management, that Boko
Haram, banditry and other security issues bedeviling the nation can be handled.
He said if Nigeria after 30-month civil war was able to unite and reorganized
itself, insecurity will soon become history in the country.
Buhari said it might take a while but Nigeria will put things in order. He
equally opined that the country will defeat Boko Haram with civil war
experience.
Disclosing this in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, President Buhari said: “If we were capable to
fight a 30-month civil war and reorganised our country, I wonder why people are
thinking that Nigeria cannot do it. “I assure you of Nigeria’s commitment to
enhance and deepen cooperation with the EU in all areas. Our priorities in the
next level is to ensure that Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, are
rehabilitated so that livelihood should be established and the children should
not lose the opportunity to go back to school, which is very important for the
future of that area and Nigeria generally. “We have the experience of the civil
war. I could recall the role of the military, the army, each commander had in
his pocket how to behave himself and how to allow international bodies like
yourself to go round and see for themselves that people are treated in the most
humane way. We have this experience and I assure you that we also have this
confidence in your organisation. That is why I feel that Nigeria is capable of
handling this crisis, it may take long but we are capable of handling it. “The
important thing really is weapons reaching the Sahel; the instability it is
causing. Look at the casualties in Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali;
Libya has a direct impact on the stability of the Sahel. As for Boko Haram, we
try to disabuse the mind of the people and I think our people now understand
the basic dishonesty in it. With my experience personally in the civil war, I
am sure we will get over it. “I assure you that we are aware of these problems
and we will continue to do our best. The newly created Ministry of Humanitarian
Affairs is coordinating NEMA and others, to make sure that whatever resources
we get are well utilised. The ministry will be accountable to the government
instead of having too many bodies doing the same thing. We are also reaching
out to foreign countries explaining to them our position, and we are confident
we will get over it.”
Source: Vanguard