The All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed
President Muhammadu Buhari for his shuttle
diplomacy aimed at forging a stronger regional
front against the Boko Haram insurgency, saying
the President should be praised rather than
pilloried for his efforts. ''Boko Haram, which started
off as a Nigerian problem, has now assumed a
regional dimension, affecting many countries in
West Africa.
Therefore, any solution to the crisis, if it is to
endure, must be regional in nature, with Nigeria
taking the lead,'' the party said in a statement
issued in Abuja on Saturday by its National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Besides, it said since terrorism has assumed a
global dimension, no nation, not even the
superpower United States, can fight the growing
menace alone.
''This is why even in our days in opposition, we
advocated a regional solution to the crisis,'' APC
said.
The party said President Buhari's trip to Niger and
Chad, two of the countries worst hit by the Boko
Haram insurgency, showed that he understands the
regional dimension that the insurgency has
assumed,
and that for any effort by Nigeria to yield positive
results, it must seek the cooperation of its
neighbouring countries.
It urged the President not to relent in his efforts to
forge a regional front against the terrorists, despite
the misguided criticism emanating from certain
quarters.
''It is baffling that some opposition politicians
wanted Nigeria to go it alone against Boko Haram,
even as the terrorist group has taken its battle
beyond the shores of Nigeria, to such countries as
Cameroon, Chad and Niger. It is common
knowledge that the terrorists use these countries
as launch pads for their attacks against Nigeria,
and vice versa, and that they routinely engage in
cross-boundary raids.
''It is common knowledge that Boko Haram's
tentacles have spread as far as Mali, the home
base of the Movement for the Unity and Jihad in
West Africa (MUJAO), a splinter group of the Al-
Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. It is no longer a
secret that Boko Haram has now affiliated itself to
the Islamic State, seeing itself as the West African
chapter of the terror group. How then can Nigeria
effectively deal with Boko Haram without seeking
the assistance of other concerned countries?'' APC
queried
The party reminded the critics of the President's
trips to Chad and Niger that even the United States
sought and has continued to seek a global
coalition against Al-Qaida and Islamic State,
despite the country's enormous military, economic
and political powers.
APC said it was particularly delighted that
President Buhari has continued to insist that the
Nigerian Army is capable of leading the fight
against Boko Haram, meaning that while there is
nothing wrong in seeking the cooperation of
Nigeria's neighbours, the country has no business
hiring mercenaries to lead the battle.
''That vote of confidence in our military is the first
step in the efforts of the Buhari Administration to
restore the glory of the once-globally-acclaimed
Nigerian military through morale boosting
measures that will include arming and kitting the
troops effectively and caring about their welfare so
that they can more effectively tackle the terrorists,''
it said.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Comments
Post a Comment
Post your comment