President Muhammadu Buhari
The seriousness in President Muhammadu Buhari's fight against Boko Haram and terrorism has been commended and praised.After his triumphant outing in the poll last year, President Muhammadu Buhari reiterated his campaign promise to adopt a different approach, in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, and securing the release of the girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, abducted in 2014 by the terrorist group.
In his inaugural speech to the nation on May 29, 2015, Buhari, as part of his strategies to ensure that the insurgents are completely subdued, announced the relocation of the Military Command and Control Centre from Abuja to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, believed to be the headquarters of the Boko Haram sect. For Buhari, who was obviously worried by the extent of damage done to lives and property by the Islamic sect, nothing meaningful could be achieved in the battle to checkmate the Boko Haram militants with the command and control centre based in Abuja.
The authorities of the Nigerian Military seeing the seriousness the President attached to his directive for the Command and Control Centre to be moved to Maiduguri wasted no time in heeding to the order. The centre served as a forward command base for the Chief of Army Staff and other service chiefs with an alternate command centre established in Yola, the Adamawa State capital. With the President’s motivation and the moving of the Command Centre to the North East, the military, via well-coordinated operations was able to reclaim all the Local Government Areas that were fully taken over by the dreaded Islamic terrorists, within one year of Buhari’s assumption of office.
Former Governor of Yobe State and Senator representing Yobe East Senatorial District, Abba Bukar Ibrahim, attested to the remarkable achievements recorded by the Buhari administration in its effort to decimate the Boko Haram group when he said: “Definitely, there have been a lot of improvements compared to what has happened during Jonathan presidency. After all, when President Buhari took over there were at least 18 local governments which were totally under the control of Boko Haram. As of today, not a single local government is totally under the control of Boko Haram. They are just going round hitting and running – hitting of soft spot and the military are doing their best to flush them out.”
Buhari’s pragmatic approach to the fight against terrorism in the country yielded further fruitful results with the release of 21 Chibok schoolgirls on October 13, 2016. The girls were among the 276 female students kidnaped by Boko Haram in their hostel on April 14, 2014. A total of 57 of them succeeded in escaping few hours after the abduction, leaving 219 in captivity for over two years. One of the captured girls was found in May 2016. With 21 released, 197 are still held hostage.
The news of the release of the schoolgirls was greeted with great joy and excitement by Nigerians who have continued to pour encomium on the President for the determination he has shown in fulfilling his promise to rescue the girls alive. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Swiss government played significant intermediary roles in the painstaking negotiation that saw to the release of the 21 girls.
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State said the release of the teenage girls had proved Buhari’s sincerity in ending the Boko Haram insurrection.
The outgoing United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon hailed the release of the 21 Chibok girls, in a statement released in New York by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric. According to the statement, the UN scribe also expressed deep concern about the safety and well-being of the remaining schoolgirls and other victims of abduction by Boko Haram, who are still held captive.
Disclosing that negotiations are ongoing for the release of another set of the abducted girls, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, warned against unguarded utterances by commentators and analysts on the issue.
The resolve by the Federal Government (FG) to fully cater for the freed Chibok schoolgirls is, indeed, a step in the right direction. It is highly commendable. Buhari made known the decision of FG when he hosted the girls and their parents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said: “Aside from rescuing them, we are assuming the responsibility for their personal, educational and professional goals and ambitions in life.”
- By Michael Jegede
Jegede, a media Professional and public affairs Commentator, writes from Abuja
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