President Muhammadu Buhari’s focus on ending Boko Haram insurgency has received a boost with his directive that the Multinational Joint Task Force helping to confront the terrorists be given $21 million out of the $100 million which his government pledged to be released within a week.
Buhari, who is currently in South Africa as chairman of the African Union Peace Security Council at the 25th AU Summit going on in Johannesburg, disclosed this adding that his directive was based on the decision of the recent extra ordinary summit of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin.
Buhari said the special focus on combating the sect was as a result of the fact that the terrorists had extended their terror to neighbouring countries and thus needed to be urgently quelled.
The sect, he said, was a terror group like other groups terrorising the world. Therefore, in brotherhood, the terrorist group must be tackled.
Buhari said: “I am pleased to note that Cameroon, Chad and Niger are already showing this attribute by fighting alongside Nigeria under the umbrella of Multinational Joint Task Force to defeat Boko Haram.
“In this regard, the member countries of the 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 $30m for the Multinational Joint Task Force.
“Consequently, out of the pledge of $100m, which Nigeria made to the Multinational Joint Task Force, I have directed that $21m be released within the next one week.”
Buhari, who said the African continent was bedevilled by crises of various magnitude and while citizens of the country were passing through hell, their various leaders were fighting themselves.
He appealed to leaders to have the interest of their people at heart adding that there must be a change of heart among leaders of the continent.
“As you are aware in 2013, during the 50th anniversary celebration of our union, we, as African leaders, committed ourselves to the objective of silencing the local guns in Africa by 2020,” he added.
“With just five years remaining, the prospect of realising this objective looks doubtful with pockets of violence in individual countries and the continent as a whole.”