The war against insurgency has exacted huge human and financial costs on Nigeria as successive governments battle to eliminate the scourge.
President Muhammadu Buhari, during a speech on Tuesday shortly after receiving the “Award for Strengthening Peace in Africa” conferred on him by the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum in Nouakchott, Mauritania, disclosed the huge costs incurred by his administration in order to ensure the safety of Nigerians, especially in the Lake Chad Basin.
Buhari’s speech was also released to the press by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, titled ‘President Buhari receives award for peace in Africa, lists conditions for future harmony.’
According to him, the FG has been able to recapture huge swathes of land, hitherto controlled by the Boko Haram terrorist group at the cost of $1 billion for the purchase of weaponry and welfare of the troops.
“When I assumed power in 2015, Boko Haram held about two-thirds of Borno State, half of Yobe State, and a couple of local government areas in Adamawa State, all in the North-East of Nigeria.
“We have been able to retrieve these swathes of territories by investing over $1bn to acquire hard and software weaponry from the US and other friendly countries to carry out sustained operations against insurgency since 2015,” President Buhari said.
He argued that these funds would have been better used to build essential infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools.
“Our Armed Forces and those of our partners in the Multinational Joint Task Force (consisting of Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Benin Republic and Nigeria) continue to demonstrate great bravery while paying the ultimate price in securing our collective freedom.
“Despite the difficult times we face, we continue to spend very scarce and lean resources to ensure that we have a well-resourced military force to take on this task. Ideally, these are resources that could be spent on education, healthcare, infrastructure and other social services, but without peace, we have learnt the hard way that our children cannot go to school or seek good healthcare,” he said.
He added that the situation caused considerable instability and served as a litmus test for Lake Chad Basin Commission member nations in coming up with solutions to restore the way of life in the area.
The President pleaded with his counterparts to step up their efforts to stop the flow of small arms and light weapons and the infiltration of foreign fighters into Africa.
Since 2011, Boko Haram has conducted terrorist attacks on religious and political groups, local police, and the military, as well as indiscriminately attacking civilians in busy markets and villages.
The kidnapping of over two hundred girls from their school in April 2014 drew international attention to the ongoing threat from Boko Haram and the government’s inability to contain it.
Buhari was elected president in 2015 on a counter-terrorism platform, but economic and political challenges in Nigeria have complicated the fight against Boko Haram.
In addition to the military conflict, continuing uneven distribution of oil revenue, high levels of corruption, and violence in the Middle Belt region pose significant challenges to Nigerians’ security.