President Muhammadu Buhari said Friday in Abuja that 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.
Speaking at an audience with Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the United Nations
Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations
Office for West Africa, 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 sub-region,’’ President Buhari
told Dr. Ibn Chambas.
Against the background of upcoming elections in Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea and
Burkina Faso, the President also called on the United Nations 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 in its elections, other African countries
may require support and assistance from the international community.
Dr. Ibn Chambas commended President Buhari for his strong and positive
actions against terrorism.
The United Nations 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.