sident Obama for organising this important meeting. The timing
\nis appropriate and the subject matter warrants our close attention. The
\nthreats posed by ISIL in the Middle East, and violent extremism elsewhere,
\nare an existential danger to many States.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0 \u00a0 ISIL is a serious threat to international peace and security and
\nshould be treated as such. There can be no half measures or expedient
\nsolutions in dealing with terrorists and extremists.<\/p>\n
3.\u00a0 \u00a0 They respect no laws, and have no regard to the sanctity of lives
\nand property. They operate outside law and must be seen for what they are
\nand dealt with appropriately.<\/p>\n
Mr. Chairman,<\/p>\n
4.\u00a0 \u00a0 Given that the acceptance process for recruits into the ranks of
\nISIL involves rigorous vetting and screening as well as sponsorship known
\nas \u201ctazkiya\u201d; our expectation was that the demanding enlistment process
\ncoupled with the legal framework instituted by the United Nations would
\nstem the tide of their flow. Apparently this is not yet happening.<\/p>\n
Mr. Chairman,<\/p>\n
5.\u00a0 \u00a0 The increase in violence and terrorism by ISIL and other groups has
\nenticed and emboldened insurgent groups in Africa to pledge allegiance to
\ngain local traction. The Boko Haram terrorist group, operating in the Lake
\nChad Basin area, which is currently on the Al-Qaida sanctions list,
\npledged its allegiance to ISIL in March 2015.<\/p>\n
6.\u00a0 \u00a0 While we believe that Boko Haram action is an indication of the
\nweakening operational capability of the group, it could also suggest that
\nit was a strategic move to attract foreign fighters into its fold, and
\nobtain assistance from ISIL. Certainly, whatever the reason was for the
\ndeclaration of allegiance, one thing is certain: Boko Haram terrorist
\ngroup wants to be drawn into the centre stage of global terrorism.<\/p>\n
7.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 This development has led not only to a shift in strategy,
\nbut also to changes in ideology, recruitment and propaganda methods by
\nBoko Haram. Its recourse to mass executions and public beheadings in the
\nstyle of ISIL became notoriously widespread after the declaration of
\nallegiance.<\/p>\n
8.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 We also note that sub-Saharan Africa has been receiving
\nspecial attention for purposes of radicalization and incitement. In the
\nApril 2015 Edition of the IS magazine, \u201cDABIQ\u201d entitled ‘Shariah Alone
\nWill Rule Africa’ , Boko Haram was congratulated for \u201cjoining the caravan\u201d
\nof jihad, saying that they would \u201cnow guard yet another frontier of the
\nKhilafah [caliphate]\u201d.\u00a0 Boko Haram is neither protecting nor promoting
\nIslam. Islam is the religion of peace and does not advocate the killing of
\nthe innocent.<\/p>\n
9.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Furthermore, capitalizing on historic ethnic tensions and
\nupheavals in Africa, ISIL is making vigorous recruitment campaigns and
\nstrident efforts to expand into some communities in the Sahel region.
\nIndeed, ISIL operations have lent credence to the supposition that
\nterrorism and violent extremism are the two sides of the same coin.<\/p>\n
Mr. Chairman,<\/p>\n
10.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Nigeria notes with satisfaction the efforts of the United
\nNations and the rest of the international community to contain ISIL. We
\ncertainly need to do more. We need to take military action combined with
\neffective border security, intelligence collection and sharing, and
\nvigorous policing action.<\/p>\n
11.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 These alone may not suffice, but they can certainly stem the
\ntide and reverse the process of recruitment, movement and effective
\noperation of foreign terrorist fighters and their associated radical
\nextremists. In order to put in place the critical components of an
\neffective approach to countering ISIL and eventually defeating it, we must
\naddress the threat from the source.<\/p>\n
12.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 We must find a way to prevent young people from turning to
\nterror in the first place. And the young people that turn to violent
\nextremism do not exist in a vacuum \u2013 they are often part of communities
\nand families and are lured into the fold of barbaric and nihilistic
\norganizations, somehow, through a misguided appeal to their worst fears,
\nexpectations and apparent frustrations.<\/p>\n
Mr Chairman,<\/p>\n
13.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 While addressing the causes of this attraction and how to
\ndeal with them, we should pay close attention to other manifest factors
\nthat may not be tangible but can be crucial. Good governance, which
\nentails transparency, accountability and rule of law, remains the basis on
\nwhich we should kick-start the process of ridding the world of the menace
\nof terrorism and violent extremism.<\/p>\n
14.\u00a0 The international community will be required to work together to
\ndeter and disrupt illicit financial flows from nations with weak
\nanti\u2013theft structures to other parts of the world.<\/p>\n
15.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Where such funds are identified, the victim State should be
\nassisted to recover them expeditiously. Mr Chairman, you have yourself
\nobserved that \u201cgroups like al-Qa\u2019ida and ISIL exploit the anger that
\nfesters when people feel that injustice and corruption leave them with no
\nchance of improving their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Chairman,<\/p>\n
16.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Member States need to address local socio-economic
\ngrievances by formulating policies that would ensure broad-based
\ntransformation through job creation, equalization of opportunities and
\nexpanding access to social services.<\/p>\n
17.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 We in Africa need also rededicate ourselves to uphold the
\nmandate of the African Union Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and other good
\ngovernance initiatives that we have adopted in our region, to encourage
\nconformity with political, economic and corporate governance values.<\/p>\n
Mr. Chairman,<\/p>\n
18.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The Secretary-General of the United Nations noted in
\nFebruary 2015, we are facing the \u201cthe greatest test our human family faces
\nin the 21st century\u201d. Thus, all options must be explored and all hands
\nmust be on deck in the quest for a durable and a lasting panacea to the
\nthreat posed by ISIL, Al-Qaida, Boko Haram and the like.<\/p>\n
Thank you for your attention.<\/p>\n
President Mohammadu Buhari<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
sident Obama for organising this important meeting. The timing is appropriate and the subject matter warrants our close attention. The threats posed by ISIL in the Middle East, and violent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n