Nigeria will definitely overcome insurgency, other challenges, Buhari tells EU official

President Muhammadu Buhari said on Friday the country would overcome the insurgency and other challenges in the North-East no matter how long they lasted.

He stated this while receiving the European Union (EU) Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, at the State House, Abuja.

According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, President Buhari told his visitor that “if we were capable to fight a 30-month civil war and reorganised our country, I wonder why people are thinking that Nigeria cannot do it.

“I assure you of Nigeria’s commitment to enhance and deepen cooperation with the EU in all areas. Our priorities in the next level is to ensure that the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are rehabilitated so that livelihood should be established and the children should not lose the opportunity to go back to school, which is very important for the future of that area and Nigeria generally.

“We have the experience of the civil war. I could recall the role of the military, the army and each commander had in his pocket how to behave himself and how to allow international bodies like yourself to go round and see for themselves that people are treated in the most humane way. We have this experience and I assure you that we also have this confidence in your organisation.

“That is why I feel that Nigeria is capable of handling this crisis, it may take longer but we are capable of handling it.”

The Nigerian leader also commended the German government for putting together the meeting on Libyan crisis.

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He added: “The important thing really is weapons reaching the Sahel; the instability it is causing. Look at the casualties in Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. Libya has a direct impact on the stability of the Sahel. As for Boko Haram, we try to disabuse the mind of the people and I think our people now understand the basic dishonesty in it. With my experience personally in the civil war, I am sure we will get over it.”

President Buhari assured that the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development would do a splendid job of managing the various humanitarian issues evolving from the North East.

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