President Muhammadu Buhari says
his administration has done a lot to halt the advancement of Boko Haram in the
country.
Buhari said this on Thursday
while speaking at the 73rd African Parliamentary Union (APU) conference in
Abuja.
The president said terrorism,
armed banditry and organised crimes have continued to be a security challenge for
African countries.
“I am delighted that the 41st
Conference of Speakers, as part of its meeting, will be considering the role of
parliaments in the fight against terrorism, armed gangs and organised crimes in
Africa,” he said.
“Terrorism, armed banditry and
organised crimes have continued to be a security challenge for member states of
the African Union; the proliferation of arms aided by abuse of the ease of
movement of persons across freer borders, which have been historically in place
to encourage African unity, have contributed to acts of terrorism by groups
like Al Shaabab, ISIS and Boko Haram.
“Here in Nigeria, we have done a
lot to reverse the terror trend and halt the advancement of Boko Haram.
“We have in collaboration with
our neighbours strengthened our armed forces to effectively confront terror
groups and have also initiated programmes to address widespread poverty, which
has been identified as a significant factor fueling unrest and boosting terror
recruitments.”
Buhari said in spite of the
progress that has been made by his administration, there is still the challenge
of “armed invaders who ransack villages and small farming communities and
commit terrible acts”.
He said: “We are also making
progress in addressing this challenge.
“While I commend the actions of
African governments in dealing with these evil groups, it is my strong belief
that the APU will develop strategies to assist governments in confronting this
menace and, as Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), I will be more than willing to fast track your resolutions for
deliberation and adoption at the ECOWAS sub-region and the much larger African
Union.”
The president expressed happiness
that the promotion of girls’ education as a way to address early marriages
would be the focus of the APU Committee of women parliamentarians.
“This is another subject that
requires close attention and I assure you of the support and cooperation of the
government of Nigeria,” he said.
“A few months back, four girls
from a high school in Anambra State, in south-east of Nigeria, won the first
prize for innovation at an international competition held in the United States
of America.
“The success of these girls, some
as young as 14, is a success for Africa as a whole, but more importantly, it is
a demonstration of what can happen when the girl child is given the
opportunity.”
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