President insists Nigeria must lead joint force against Boko Haram

monjola sotubo

June 12, 2015 9:39 AM

This was in rejection of a proposal for an alternate leadership between Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin.

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has insisted on the country heading a proposed multinational joint force against terrorist sect, Boko Haram.

The President made his position known on Thursday, June 11, 2015, during a meeting with leaders of the Lake Chad nations in Abuja.

"While I agree that this is a joint operation with shared responsibilities, I am, however, of the opinion that military operations that are subjected to a rapid turnover of command and control structures, six months duration, as it is being proposed in the documents before us, do not augur well for effectiveness and efficiency,” Buhari said.

“Such a process will undermine, even if it is not intended, the military capacity to sustain the push against the insurgents, who also have the uncanny ability to adapt and rejig their operational strategies,” he added.

“I am inclined, on account of the above, to suggest for Your Excellencies’ consideration that Nigeria retains the position of the Force Commander of the MNJTF for the period of the war effort. This command will be to the effectiveness of military strategy, since Nigeria will be providing the bulk of the troops and the main theatre of the war is on Nigerian soil,” Buhari said.

The meeting, an Extra Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin, was attended by the President of Chad, Idris Deby; Niger, Issoufou Mahamadu; Benin, Boni Yayi; and the Defence Minister of Cameroon, Mebe Ngo’o Edgard Alain.

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