Nigeria has increased capacity to effectively defeat insurgents-President Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari says 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.
The Nigerian President made the assertion in Abuja at an audience with Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of UN Office for West Africa.
According to VON, President Buhari reaffirmed his belief that 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 added that with the Command and Control Centre of the Nigerian military now in Maiduguri, Borno State, 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 region”, President Buhari told Dr. Ibn Chambas.
Credible Elections
Against the background of upcoming elections in Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea and Burkina Faso, the President called on the UN 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.
Recalling that in the last general elections in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission used smart card readers to authenticate prospective voters, President Buhari observed that while Nigeria could afford the use of such technology, other African countries may require assistance and support from the international community.
For his part, Dr Ibn Chambas commended President Buhari for his strong and positive actions against terrorism.
The UN envoy also welcomed President Buhari’s successful visit to Cameroon this week and his reaffirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to the peaceful resolution of all border issues with Cameroon.
