President Muhammadu Buhari promised on Friday that Nigeria will fully redeem its pledge of $100 million for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) fighting Boko Haram, spokesman Femi Adesina said in a statement.
The President, Adesina said, was speaking at a high-level meeting of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.
President Buhari argued that having already released $21 million to the task force in June last year, Nigeria will remit the balance of $79 million “very soon”.
He also assured the Council that Boko Haram’s capacity to conduct conventional attacks has been “heavily degraded”.
“As at now, there is no single Nigerian territory under the control of the insurgents other than their hideouts in Sambisa Forest.
“Displaced persons (IDPs) are now being resettled in their respective homes.
“This feat totally accords with our promise to Nigerians to rid the country of terrorism and extremism within few months of our assumption of office.
“Our efforts are already yielding dividends and we will not relent until the terrorist groups are totally decimated and wiped out of our country and sub-region,” he declared.
A suicide bomber killed dozens of people in Adamawa State, Nigeria, on Friday the same day Buhari was making his speech in Ethiopia. Several people were also killed in Cameroon in four suicide bombings.
Buhari reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to support measures to end the conflicts in Burundi and South Sudan, including the proposed deployment of troops by the AU to Burundi.
“Let me re-iterate Nigeria’s deep commitment to ensuring durable peace, stability and security on our continent.
“Without peace, there will be no development. It is therefore vital for all of us to join hands in taking appropriate measures to end the conflicts and bring a stop to the incalculable damage being inflicted on innocent citizens in the affected countries,” the President told participants at the meeting.
Published on: January 30, 2016
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