Boko Haram: Buhari has made huge difference – Zulum

Notwithstanding the challenges still being faced in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has significantly changed Borno’s security situation from what it used to be, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has said.

Zulum spoke yesterday while receiving the Minister of Defence, retired Major General Bashir Magashi, who in company of the Chiefs of Army and Air Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai and Air Marshall Abubakar Sadiq, paid a courtesy call at the Government House in Maiduguri.

Zulum said: “We have challenges, there is no doubt about this but as Governor of Borno State and as someone who was commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement that was going round the state for four years, I can say without any fear of contradiction the President Muhammadu

Buhari has shown unquantifiable and genuine commitment to helping Borno get out of the Boko Haram era.

“I also know the huge difference this commitment of the president has made in changing our situation from what it used to be to the current situation. We all knew how impossible it was to move few kilometres out of Maiduguri, but these days, we are able to travel to former Boko Haram strongholds like Marte, Damasak and many others.

“The president is giving tremendous support to ending the insurgency, he is doing his own bid, what is left is if for those he entrusts with the responsibilities to do whatever they can to end the Boko Haram insurgency. The president is doing his part and we are grateful to him, to the Minister of Defence that has been to Borno four times in six months. We are grateful to our service chiefs, to the commanders on ground and most importantly, to our gallant troops, civilian JTF and hunters who are at the battle field.”

The governor enumerated areas of challenges still being faced with a strong appeal for reopening of major economic roads and restoration of economic activities in some commercial towns in the shores of the Lake Chad in order to ensure that idle citizens are not recruited by the insurgents through economic inducements.

The governor stressed the need for increased military presence along the routes.

Zulum said about one million citizens currently living in places like Monguno, Damasak and Nganzai need to return to businesses even if it means the military getting supervising commercial activities in order to ensure insurgents do not hijack the economic environment to raise funds.