Partner With Us To Defeat Boko Haram – Saraki to UN Conference
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Nigeria’s Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Wednesday in far away, New York, USA urged the International Community to partner with Nigeria to defeat Boko Haram insurgency in the North-eastern part of the country.
Saraki made this call while delivering his key note address at the ongoing 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York.
According to him, the menace of insurgency and all forms of brutality being visited on innocent citizens by terrorists across the world require international collaboration to curtail as they pose great threat to global peace and democracy.
Like most other countries, Senate President said, terrorism has become a clog on Nigeria’s path to sustainable development.
He emphasised that terrorism can no longer be treated like a local problem and that it was time the world joined Nigeria to decisively defeat Boko Haram while urgently rebuilding the Northeast.
His words: “The time to act is now. For us in Nigeria, with the new leadership at the executive and legislature, we are reacting already. You have a reliable partner to work with.
“Boko Haram represents the greatest terrorist threat we face. The insurgency’s senseless terror has brought untold destruction and hardship on our people in the North East of the country. I therefore call on the international community to partner with Nigeria to defeat Boko Haram.
“Thankfully, our military has in recent times, significantly degraded the morale and capacity of the insurgents to launch attacks in the area, a feat that has since seen many settlements liberated, roads reopened and hope restored. I call on the global community to join hands with Nigeria to rebuild the overwhelming destruction of the North East”.
Dr Saraki stated further that the world today is embattled by challenges with no easy answers ranging from climate change, regional conflicts and terrorism.
He lamented that the conflicts have brought in their wake the problem of internal destitution, displacement and dislocation of people, adding that democracy and development cannot take place in this type of atmosphere.
The senate President stated that the challenge the global community now faces is how to quickly turn the tide around to achieve sustainable development.
“Since 2009, we have seen many of our innocent citizens brutally and senselessly murdered and others rendered internally displaced. The idea of a 15-year-old girl suicide bomber, wherever it may be in the world, be it in the Middle East, South America, Asia or in my country Nigeria is not the world of our dream. It is not reflective of a world where sustainable development is the agenda.
“Surely, it is not a local problem. Terrorism is evil that we must confront. Its brutality, lack of purpose and cross border activities makes it imperative that we adopt a global approach in tackling it. Terrorism in one part of the world is no more important than in another,” he stated.
He further bemoaned the plight of the internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Northeast and other parts of the country, saying the human misery in the various camps he recently visited is horrendous.
“Nowhere are these challenges more keenly felt, than in the plight of displaced persons, migrants and refugees, where due to conflict and natural disasters, citizens are bereft of human rights, even certifiable citizenship identities, such as the ongoing situations in North-East Nigeria, with the attendant shockwaves being felt in other parts of the world through the rising tides of unsafe and unregulated, emergency migration, to Europe and other regions.
“In my country alone, we have seen the displacement of over 2m persons and about 10,000 children orphaned by the Boko Haram conflict. The human misery has been unspeakable. I had the opportunity of an entire day visiting from camp to camp some of the IDP, to see first hand the real suffering that thousand of mostly women and children are going through. It’s horrendous,” he said.
He then called on his colleagues to ensure the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through enabling laws that will ensure the smooth implementation of embedded policies and programmes for the benefit of the global state.
“The legislature surely has a critical role to play in providing the underpinnings that would help create a new global regime that is able to deal with these challenges in terms of laws and oversight.
“Thankfully, the United Nations has taken the right steps in involving the legislature early in the process of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. We must now speak and act in unison.
“We must play our role to see it to the next level. The IPU has a duty of galvanizing member state support and action in these regards. Most of all whatever we do we must keep in mind that without peace it is impossible to achieve sustainable development,” he stated.
Saraki thanked the UN for involving the legislature early in the process of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, saying it is time for action to make it work.
“We must now speak and act in unison. No excuses. We must play our role to see it to the next level. The IPU has a duty to galvanize member states support and action in these regards,” he stated.
He further noted that with historic success of the 2015 general elections, the Nigeria demonstrated an abiding commitment to democracy especially with the country’s rather long history of military rule, and its location on a continent still dotted by sit-tight presidents.
“However, while the rest of the world has acknowledged this Nigerian achievement and have rejoiced with us accordingly, those of us in leadership position understand that an election by itself does not make democracy.
“Our democracy will only be strengthened if it is able to guarantee also, better life and security for our people. This is where the challenge then lies. How then do we guarantee better life for our people in the mist of terrorism, insecurity and corruption?” he noted.
He however assured participants at the conference that the Nigerian parliament is committed and ready to play its part to deliver successful results.
“Terrorism threatens our democracy, our unity and our effort towards sustainable development. Boko Haram represents the greatest threat we face. The insurgency’s senseless terror has brought untold destruction and hardship on our people in the North East of the country.
“The plight of people fleeing conflict zones in search of peace and better life must task our abilities on how we can build inclusive sustainable development, one that sees them as having a share in this new world order.
“Today, more and more people have become displaced by conflict than ever since World War II. This displacement is creating a new kind of conflict arising from desperate poverty, and identity and resource crises in an unwelcoming world,” he said.