$21m boost for anti-Boko Haram war

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the release of $21 million out of the $100 million pledged by Nigeria to the Multi National Joint Task Force against Boko Haram.

Buhari announced this while chairing the African Union (AU), Peace and Security Council (PSC) meeting at the on-going AU summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He said the order, which was in response to a decision by the leaders of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and Benin in Abuja to immediately fund the MNJTF with not less than $30 million, will be carried out this week.

“The member countries of Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin, met recently where far reaching decisions were taken to immediately put into operations the Multinational Joint Task Force.

“To this end, the summit approved the immediate provision of $30 million for the Multinational Joint Task Force.

“Consequently out of the pledge of $100 million which Nigeria made to the Multinational Joint Task Force, I have directed that $21 million be released within the next one week,’’ Buhari told the AU.

He said he was pleased to note that Cameroon, Chad and Niger “are demonstrating of this support.

“They are fighting alongside Nigeria under the umbrella of Multinational Joint Task Force to defeat Boko Haram.’’

Buhari observed that the continent was inundated with crises of various forms which required urgent attention.

“We are witnesses to the rampant destruction of homes, roads, communications lines, vital infrastructure and displacement of persons not to mention terrible loss of lives.

“This is true I must add of the North-East of Nigeria where we are dealing with the scourge of Boko Haram.

“The Boko Haram insurgency has extended its reach to Nigeria’s neighbours but is not necessarily limited to these immediate countries as terrorism is a global phenomenon with linkages across the globe.

“Given this dimension of global terror it requires us to act accordingly in brotherhood and partnership to fight our common goals against agents of evil,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that at the LCBC meeting of Nigeria, Chad, Camerron and Niger with Republic of Benin, Buhari had asked the leaders to articulate their needs for onward delivery to the G7 group of industrialised nations.

The request was based on the promise by the G7 to support Nigeria in the fight against terrorism when Buhari honoured the group’s invitation to attend its last Summit in Germany.

The President urged African leaders to place the interests of their countries above narrow personal interests.

The President noted that as the meeting of PSC focused on the situations of South Sudan and Burundi, it required the leaders to put the situations in both countries in proper context.

“The people of these countries are suffering while their political leaders are bickering among themselves.

“I believe that is incumbent upon us as leaders to always place the interest of our countries above narrow and personal interests.

“It is therefore my expectation that at the end of this summit, the PSC will come out with a united message to call on all parties to act in the interest of their people and the entire continent,’’ Buhari charged.

The Nigerian President added that the leaders must make deliberate efforts to “save the face of Africa, we must give hope to the hopeless.

“The time to do so is now as we look forward on the march toward 2063 to deliver a continent that is at peace with itself, prosperous, a global partner and a democratic show case’’.

Buhari noted that the continent was inundated with conflicts of diverse forms including the crises in Burkina Faso, Mali, Libya, Central Africa Republic, South Sudan, and more recently in Burundi.

“As you are aware in 2013 during our 50th anniversary celebration of our union, we as African leaders committed ourselves to the objective of silencing the local guns in Africa by 2020.

“With just five years remaining, the prospect of realising this objective looks doubtful,’’ Buhari noted.

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