The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has disclosed that there are foreign interests sponsoring Boko Haram terrorists in the country, to recruit children from the Northern region as fighters,
Citing Libya and Iraq as examples of how sectional insecurity could engulf an entire country, he said that there is a need for cooperation by all Nigerians to defeat the insurgents.
Governor Zulum spoke in Lagos, at the 17th Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture, themed: ‘The constitutional history of Nigeria’s dysfunction: Any pathway to indivisibility and common progress’, which was organised by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja Branch, to celebrate the life and times of Gani Fawehinmi, who died on September 5, 2009.
Governor Zulum stated further that Borno State shares a border with Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Republic, and that as a result of Nigeria’s porous borders, people are importing arms into the country, which is also fuelling the insurgency.
His words: “Our borders are so porous, and proliferation of arms is existing there.
“I am from Borno State, and many of our children are into Boko Haram. I am not denying the fact. But again, they are being sponsored by many people across the world. Among Boko Haram, we have white men, Asians, Africans, Muslims, and Christians.”
Governor Zulum lamented that the problem of insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping across the country, are as a result of high unemployment rate, poverty, poor social infrastructure, high social inequality, and drug abuse, among others.
He pointed out that to address these challenges and take children off the street, it is expedient to improve on the educational system, and provide job opportunities for young people, noting that, the mismatch between the educational system and the labour market, which makes “some graduates unemployable”, must be addressed.
He added: “Throughout Northern Nigeria, particularly Borno State, a Committee is working on how to reform the Almajiri system of education. We want to streamline the non-formal and formal education sectors, to avail those children basic literacy and numeracy skills, so they can stand on their own. And we are not in support of street begging.
“We must stop seeing this insurgency as a problem of the North. The distance between Borno State and Lagos State is about 1,700km, but mind you, if Borno State is not peaceful, other parts of the nation will never be peaceful. We have to unite and fight these insurgents. We have seen what happened in Libya, Iraq, and other countries. Peace building and social cohesion, are very important in strengthening the resilience of our communities.”
He also stressed the need to shun nepotism, tribalism, and the idea of using religion to cause division. He said that he replaced his former Head of Service, who was a fellow Muslim, with a Christian, because he prioritised competence above loyalty. He said that, that was the first time a Christian would occupy the position in the State.
“Unless we get rid of nepotism, tribalism, and exploitation of religion, we will not get it right in this country. The Constitution is very clear on the need for peaceful coexistence among all of us, which is why the principle of Federal Character is enshrined in the Constitution, but it has been abused.”
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