– The Buhari-led administration is determined to tackle the increased number of Boko Haram in the North
– Acting President Osinbajo held a crucial meeting with a delegation of African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council to deal with the insurgents
– The African Union Peace and Security Council as part of its mandate have been visiting countries in the region on a fact-finding mission on the crisis
As part of efforts to tackle the increased number activities of Boko Haram in the North, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo held a crucial meeting with a delegation of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council at the presidential villa, Abuja.
According to Osinbajo, countries in the Lake Chad Basin have worked together very well dealing with the terrorist insurgency in the region and the consequent humanitarian crisis.
ZENITHBLOG.com gathered that the acting president received a delegation from the African Union Peace and Security Council which has been visiting countries in the region on a fact-finding mission on the crisis as part of its mandate.
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Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and others during a meeting with AU Peace and Security Council delegation held at the State House in Abuja. Photo credit: Sesan Adeboyejo
The Acting President said: “The 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.”
He cited the progress of the Multi-National Joint Task Force set up to address the terrorist insurgency.
Osinbajo noted that unlike in the past when there were difficulties when the militaries of the 4 countries tried to work together, the MNJTF surmounted the challenges and has succeeded.
Representatives of the African Union and Chairperson of AU Peace and Security Council with Acting President Osinbajo Photo credit: Sesan Adeboyejo
According to him, the Buhari administration is “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 2.4m displaced persons, extensive destruction of property, infrastructure, schools, homes and farmland. In some cases, he said, the situation required the “rebuilding of whole societies.”
But he expressed satisfaction with the work of the Peace and Security Council of the AU. “I am extremely pleased and encouraged by the work of the PSC, the time and attention paid to this issue. These are matters we must address now and in the future.”
The PSC delegation was led by its Chairperson for the month of July, Ambassador 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 have been visiting the 4 countries in the Lake Chad Basin in the past 5 weeks, and have specifically visited 7 cities in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
“This visit is the high point of our mission,” Adeoye stated adding that Nigeria’s commitment to peace in Africa has been well demonstrated.
Osinbajo in a handshake with Amb Bankole Adeoye, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Photo credit:Sesan Adeboyejo
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ZENITHBLOG.com previously reported that some service chiefs arrived in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital following the directive by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo that they relocate to the state.
The Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai was the first to arrive in Maiduguri early on Tuesday, August 1. He was followed by chief of air staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar who arrived by an aircraft.
In the video below, Nigerian Air Force gives an update on operations against Boko Haram in 2017.
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