Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says that the acquisition of modern military equipment by the government and the adoption of new strategies will ensure that security is restored soon in the country, especially in the embattled North East of the country.
Speaking at the meeting with the five North-East State Governors, the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the heads of intelligence agencies on Monday in Abuja, Buhari said: “Things will improve very soon. We are acquiring modern equipment; some are here, some are being cleared, and others still coming.
“We need to be patient with acquisition of equipment. You need to train the trainers for the usage ahead of their deployment to the field.
“I have listened to your presentation. I assure you, the Northeast Governors, especially that of Borno, that we go to bed and wake up thinking about you, how to secure our country, that is the responsibility of every government.”
He recalled that the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) campaigned on three major objectives in 2015, of which security was prominent and this was reiterated in 2019 and that Nigerians believed the party could accomplish it.
“We are doing our best and we will continue to do even better,” he said, adding that security will be restored to the North-East and the nation at large, following the recent adoption of new strategies.
Earlier in their address at the beginning of the meeting, the Northeast Governors stressed the need to check the “increasing trust deficit between the people in the region and the armed forces”.
They noted that though the security situation in the region has now greatly improved, compared to the time the president assumed office there was need to adequately arm the police to complement the efforts of the military in combating insecurity across the country.
They commended President Buhari for the establishment of the North-East Development Commission and the take-off of Mambila Dam Power Project.
The governors also warned of the consequences of a large population in the region, especially in Borno State, of not having access to their homes and farmlands.
The states in North-East geo-political zone of Nigeria have been under attack by the Boko Haram insurgents for over a decade and thousands of Nigerians in these states have been displaced from their homes and are living in several displacement camps in different states in northern Nigeria, including Abuja.
GIK/APA