Against the backdrop of several criticisms directed at the recent visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Chad and Republic of Niger, the APC has commended the President for engaging the country’s neighbours in the fight against insurgency.
The party said that since terrorism has been globalized, no country, not even those with limitless abilities in warfare, can do it all alone in fighting insurgency.
”This is why even in our days in opposition, we advocated a regional
solution to the crisis,” APC said in a statement through its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed.
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.
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
