Boko Haram: Nigeria, Lake Chad Basin working together – Osinbajo

By Abdullahi M. Gulloma Abuja

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, has assured that neighbouring countries in the Lake Chad Basin have been working together to end terrorism in the region. Osinbajo said yesterday, while receiving a delegation from the African Union Peace and Security Council, which has been visiting countries in the region on a factfi nding mission on the crisis, which is part of its mandate. “Th e Lake Chad Basin collaboration is one we are extremely proud of, where we as Africans are working together on our own issues. I am pleased to say the countries have worked greatly together,” the Acting President said.

He cited the progress of the Multi-National Joint Task Force set up to address the terrorist insurgency, noting that unlike in the past when there were diffi culties, militaries of the four countries have tried to work together, the MNJTF surmounted the challenges. According to him, the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was “extremely pleased with what we have seen, and we like to see more,” of such cooperation. However, he observed that the humanitarian consequences of the insurgency are compounded by deep poverty, making the costs of dealing with the situation “huge and enormous.” He recalled that there are for instance about 2.4 million displaced persons, extensive destruction of property, infrastructure, schools, homes and farmland.

In some cases, he said, the situation required the “rebuilding of whole societies.” While expressing satisfaction with the work of the Peace and Security Council of the AU, he said: “I am extremely pleased and encouraged by the work of the PSC, the time and attention paid to this issue. Th ese are matters we must address now and in the future.” Th e PSC delegation was led by its chairperson for the month of July, Bankole Adeoye, who is also Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and to the AU. In his remarks, he told the Acting President that the PSC delegation had been visiting the four countries in the Lake Chad Basin in the past fi ve weeks, and has specifi cally visited seven cities in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon

 

Leave a Reply