I will fix military relation with US –Buhari

Buhari,the president elect has said his administration would restore

military cooperation with the United States of America.

In an article published bythe New York Times in its Tuesday edition,

Buhari promised to among other things reformed the military.

The outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration had

cancelled the training component of its military cooperation with the

US citing a lack of sincerity on the part of the Americans for its

decision.

The president said, "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."

Buhari also said he would deploy additional troops in the battle foul

away from civilian areas in the south and the north central parts of

the country.

In the article, the President-elect said, in the fight to end the Boko

Haram insurgency, "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 neighbours in coordinating our military

efforts so an offensive by one army does not see their country's rid

of Boko Haram only to push it across the border onto their neighbour's

territory."

A member of the Buhari team, who pleaded for anonymity because he was

not authorised to speak to the media said, "Without being told, you

should know that what he is simply saying is that under his

administration, the military will revert to their constitutional role

of defending the nation against external aggression QED."

It was also gathered that the military would be overhauled and

professionalised while the police would be better empowered to take

the leading role in internal security.

According to theNewYork Timesarticle, which carried Buhari's byline,

the incoming administration will aside from using the military to deal

with the terrorists' threat, it will pay greater attention to

counter-terrorism initiatives.

Buhari noted that his administration would seek to address why young

people were attracted to join the sect. He identified some of the

reasons to include poverty and ignorance.

He said, "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. We know

this for a fact because former members of Boko Haram have admitted it:

They offer impressionable young people money and the promise of food,

while the group's mentors twist their minds with fanaticism.

"So, we must be ready to offer the parts of our country affected by

this group an alternative. Boosting education will be a direct

counter-balance to Boko Haram's appeal.

"In particular we must educate more young girls, ensuring they will

grow up to be empowered through learning to play their full part as

citizens of Nigeria and pull themselves up and out of poverty. Indeed,

we owe it to the schoolgirls of Chibok to provide as best an education

as possible for our fellow young citizens."

He observed that Boko Haram feeds off despair, lack of hope that

things can improve. The former Head-of State also argued that by

attacking a school, and kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls, it

sought to strike at the very place where hope for the futurewas being

nurtured, and the promise of a better Nigeria.

"It is our intention to show Boko Haram that it will not succeed," he said.

The retired army general also promised that his administration would

not only defeat the sect militarily, it would ensure that it provides

the very education the sect despises to help our people help

themselves.

Quoting the late Nelson Mandela, Buhari said the sect would soon learn

that "education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to

change the world."

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