Rescuing Chibok Girls, defeating Boko Haram are priorities, Buhari tells UNGA

President Muhammadu Buhari has told the United Nations General Assembly in New York that his immediate priority as Nigerian president is to see to the eradication of Boko Haram ravaging the northeastern part of Nigeria and rescuing the Chibok Girls are his immediate priorities, even as he works to enhance investors confidence in the country’s economy.

“We intend to emphasize quality technological education for development and lay foundation for a comprehensive care of the aged, the disadvantaged and the infirm. But for now terrorism is the immediate problem,” the president said while addressing the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on Tuesday.

To defeat the insurgents, President Buhari said the Federal Government has put in place what he described as ‘a bold and robust strategy’.

“Nigeria and her neighbours Cameroon, Chad and Niger plus Benin are working together to face this common threat within the regional framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. We have established a multinational joint task force to confront, degrade and defeat Boko Haram.

“We have driven them away from many of their strongholds, killed or captured many of their operatives or commanders and freed several hundreds of hostages.

He said Boko Haram insurgency is a war about values between progress and chaos; between democracy and the rule of law. He emphasised that while Boko Haram celebrates violence against the weak and the innocent, they, however, hide behind their perverted interpretation of Islam, saying that “Boko Haram is as far away from Islam as anyone can think of.”

The President  also reiterated his government’s commitment to rescuing the Chibok girls alive and unharmed. “We are working round the clock to ensure their safety and eventual reunion with their families. Chibok girls are constantly on our minds and in our plans,” he said.

Earlier in his speech, Buhari admitted that Nigeria need assistance in order to solve some of the problems it faces. He said his government would strive to enhance foreign investors confidence as a way of strengthening the country’s economy.

Many of my colleagues attending this forum would want to know how our new government intends to tackle the huge problems the government has inherited. Friends of Nigeria and foreign investor partners will be to know that the new Government is attacking the problems we inherited head-on.””