President Muhammadu Buhari has confessed that despite the achievements of the military in combating Boko Haram terrorists in the North East, they still pose threat to his government change agenda.
“Despite the achievements of the military in combating terrorism in the North East, the challenge of terrorism in other parts of the country remains an issue of serious national concern with the potential to impede our change drive.”
Buhari, who was represented by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, spoke today in Dutse, Jigawa State at the opening of the 2015 Annual Conference of the Chief of Army Staff.
The President acknowledged that the deadline given to the military to end terrorism in parts of the country was open to modification, saying: “let me emphasize that the time frame given should serve as a guide and if exigencies of multiple operations across the country requires modification, the Federal Government will not hesitate to do so in order to address the flash points that are emerging in parts of the country.
“The Nigerian Army must, therefore, develop strategies to address the current challenges facing the country and ensure total elimination of the insurgents.”
Buhari said the Federal Government would assess the present situation and act appropriately in order to end the menace of terrorism in the country, adding that the timeline was only a guide meant to guide the military operation.
He, therefore, charged the military to develop new strategies to address the emerging challenges in its operations.
The President reiterated the support of his administration to the Armed Forces in ensuring that they delivered on their mandates.
He commended the leadership of the armed forces and the Army in particular for ensuring professionalism and discipline among its ranks, which he noted, had impacted positively on its operations.
Buhari assured Nigerians that the recent gains recorded by the Armed Forces in the ongoing offensive against Boko Haram would soon restore sanity to the affected areas. [myad]
