Boko Haram, which was published by the New York Times yesterday.
Here are excerpts from the article:
"When Boko Haram attacked a school in the town of Chibok, in
northeastern Nigeria, kidnapping more than 200 girls, on the night of
April 14, 2014, the people of my country were aghast. Across the
world, millions of people joined them in asking: How was it possible
for this terrorist group to act with such impunity? It took nearly two
weeks before the government even commented on the crime.
"This lack of reaction was symptomatic of why the administration of
President Goodluck Jonathan was swept aside last month -- the first
time an incumbent president has been successfully voted out of office
in the history of our nation. For too long they ruled, not governed,
and in doing so had become so focused on their own self-interest and
embroiled in corruption that the duty to react to the anguish suffered
by their citizens had become alien to them.
"My administration, which will take office on May 29, will act
differently -- indeed it is the very reason we have been elected. This
must begin with honesty as to whether the Chibok girls can be rescued.
Currently their whereabouts remain unknown. We do not know the state
of their health or welfare, or whether they are even still together or
alive. As much as I wish to, I cannot promise that we can find them:
to do so would be to offer unfounded hope, only to compound the grief
if, later, we find we cannot match such expectation. But I say to
every parent, family member and friend of the children that my
government will do everything in its power to bring them home.
"What I can pledge, with absolute certainty, is that from the first
day of my administration, Boko Haram will know the strength of our
collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring
back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas. Until now, Nigeria
has been wanting in its response to their threat: With our neighbors
fighting hard to push the terrorists south and out of their countries,
our military was not sufficiently supported or equipped to push north.
As a consequence, the outgoing government's lack of determination was
an accidental enabler of the group, allowing them to operate with
impunity in Nigerian territory.
"That is why the answer to defeating Boko Haram begins and ends with
Nigeria. That is not to say that allies cannot help us. My
administration would welcome the resumption of a military training
agreement with the United States, which was halted during the previous
administration. We must, of course, have better coordination with the
military campaigns our African allies, like Chad and Niger, are waging
in the struggle against Boko Haram. But, in the end, the answer to
this threat must come from within Nigeria.
"We must start by deploying more troops to the front and away from
civilian areas in central and southern Nigeria where for too long they
have been used by successive governments to quell dissent. We must
work closer with our neighbors in coordinating our military efforts so
an offensive by one army does not see their country's lands rid of
Boko Haram only to push it across the border onto their neighbors'
territory.
"But as our military pushes Boko Haram back, as it will, we must be
ready to focus on what else must be done to counter the terrorists. We
must address why it is that young people join Boko Haram.
"There are many reasons why vulnerable young people join militant
groups, but among them are poverty and ignorance. Indeed Boko Haram --
which translates in English, roughly, as "Western Education Is Sinful"
-- preys on the perverted belief that the opportunities that education
brings are sinful. If you are starving and young, and in search of
answers as to why your life is so difficult, fundamentalism can be
alluring...
Read the entire article on NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/opinion/muhammadu-buhari-we-will-stop-boko-haram.html?_r=0
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