One important takeaway amongst others from Nigeria’s recent outing at the 71st General Assembly meeting of the United Nations last week is that in all that he has been doing, notably in the area of securing the freedom of the abducted schoolgirls of Chibok and in defeating the threat posed by terrorism to the well-being of the Nigerian people, President Muhammadu Buhari, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, had always had good intention. Unfortunately, due to the situation of things in the country and for some political reasons, his motives and efforts has been misunderstood.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly, the Nigerian leader after giving account of the effort and challenges confronting his country in the area of security and the fight against terrorism, invited the UN Secretary General to come to the aid of Nigeria on the lingering and complex but delicate issue of securing freedom for the abducted Chibok School girls who have been in the captivity of the Boko Haram for about two years now.
While inviting UN mediation and participation, President Buhari made it clear that his administration has tried to engage the Boko Haram for the sole purpose of securing the freedom of the Chibok girls but is hamstrung by the fact that the group now has factions and government is at a loss about which group to engage.
The President is sincere and forthright about his position on this matter. Before any one accuses him of shirking national responsibility and handling over a national problem to the United Nations, is should be stated that the Chibok girl’s saga as well as the fight against the Boko Haram is an international matter. The invitation for UN support and participation underscores the international nature of the anti- terrorism war and the fact that success in any aspect of it, is beyond the capacity of any one sovereign State. And unlike Nigeria, or any country for that matter, the UN is a global organization respected by all nations of the World. Therefore, when any issue involves the UN, one can be sure that the organization can easily muster resources, goodwill and intelligence necessary for success in the particular endeavour.Thirdly, the invitation shows that according to the Presidents ‘spokesperson, Femi Adesina, ‘PMB is ready to have the girls ‘freed’, contrary to the view in some quarters.
For Nigerians of all walks of life and most especially the parents and friends of the abducted girls, and the popular BringBackourGirls’ movement, the move by President Buhari is yet the clearest revelation that the issue of freedom for the kidnapped School is one that is close to the heart of the President and that as a Father and Leader, when PMB said in the past that he tries to avoid the issue of the girls in public discourse because of the emotional distress it causes him, one can say he was sincere. Far from being a sign of helplessness and incompetence, as some detractors might wish to construe the appeal to the UN, PMB’s solicitation of the latter’s assistance is to ensure that no mistake is made and that success is actually achieved to the relief of the Nigerian people and the suffering girls in captivity.
Candidly, though the Boko Haram problem and the issue of the kidnapped School girls are Nigerian problems, they have since acquired a character and implication far beyond the borders of Nigeria for which reason; a Multinational military force is fighting alongside the Nigerian Army to restore peace in the area. The area under conflict has expanded to include the border areas with Chad, Cameroun, and Niger and far afield to the Sahel region of West Africa. The Boko Haram also has not made secret of the fact that it has international affiliation to notorious terrorist groups like Al- Shabab and the Islamic State.
Being acutely aware of the complex nature of prisoner exchange and the delicate nature of talks with armed groups, President Buhari’s diplomatic sense compelled him to internationalise on a practical note, the issue of the Chibok girls’ rescue matter. Therefore when leaders like US President, Barack Obama, and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, commended the integrity, honesty and forthrightness of President Buhari, as they did at the recent UN General Assembly summit, they are right on the spot.
Following the stance of the President on the issue of the rescue of the Chibok girls, it behoves on all Nigerians without exception to give maximum support to the President and all agencies of the government involved in the task of securing the freedom of the kidnapped girls. Particularly of importance in the fight against the Boko Haram is the Nigerian Army and the Multinational Joint Task Force whose men have under the able leadership of President Buhari changed the balance of power in the theatres of conflict in the North east region of the country.
Similarly, the personnel of the Civil defence, the Police and National Emergency Management Agency and Non- governmental organizations, both domestic and foreign who toil to ensure that relief materials and other essentials provisions for rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced persons get to these people, equally deserve commendation. They are worthy partners of the government.
Finally, it could be said without equivocation that Nigeria’s outing at the recent UN summit was successful and President Buhari represented the country well. Aside internationalizing the Chibok Girls’’ rescue issue, PMB clearly articulated the challenges facing the country, the potentials of the country and his determination to ensure that the nation gets out of the economic doldrums itcurrently findsitself.
It is gratifying to note that despite the current challenges facing the country, the activities of the Nigerian delegation and the responses of the international audience indicate that the message by PMB were well received and there were clear signals that the international business community and Nigeria’s partners are willing to constructively engage with the country in ways that will ultimately benefit the nation, thanks to PMB’s positive international image.
. Okoroma, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.
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