President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to bring the atrocities of Islamist sect, Boko Haram to an end by December will determine the level of trust the American government will repose on the Nigerian leader.
This was the impression given by the Todd Chapman, the US principal assistant secretary of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs on Friday, November 13, 2015.
Leadership reports that Chapman, who spoke in Washington, DC during a briefing on his just-concluded official visit to Nigeria and Cameroon, informed that President Buhari had set ambitious goals for himself on the issue of Boko Haram.
According to him, the United States government will allow others judge whether or not Buhari’s goals could be met, adding that they would remain supportive of Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad as they counter the terrorist threats in their zones.
“We heard many stories while we were there of some of the horrors that are being perpetrated in the northeast and elsewhere in Nigeria. And clearly, this government, the Buhari administration is committed very strongly to doing all that they can to defeat Boko Haram.
This was the impression given by the Todd Chapman, the US principal assistant secretary of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs on Friday, November 13, 2015.
Leadership reports that Chapman, who spoke in Washington, DC during a briefing on his just-concluded official visit to Nigeria and Cameroon, informed that President Buhari had set ambitious goals for himself on the issue of Boko Haram.
According to him, the United States government will allow others judge whether or not Buhari’s goals could be met, adding that they would remain supportive of Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad as they counter the terrorist threats in their zones.
“We heard many stories while we were there of some of the horrors that are being perpetrated in the northeast and elsewhere in Nigeria. And clearly, this government, the Buhari administration is committed very strongly to doing all that they can to defeat Boko Haram.
“And the things that we heard from civil society representatives, just from people who we met, their utter rejection of the activities and the ideology that Boko Haram is trying to advance in Nigeria,” Chapman stated.
He further hinted that the American government has a broad range of assistance programs and cooperation with all four countries in the Lake Chad Basin region and will work with each of them based on the bilateral relationship between them and the requests made.
According to the US representative: “We are involved in active discussions with the entire region to talk about these kinds of issues. But I can assure that based on our experience recently, the channels of communication are wide open in terms of what we are looking to be able to do together with the Nigerians to help counter Boko Haram.
“So the relationship is good. We’re looking forward, we’re looking at training, we’re looking at equipment, we’re looking at a whole range of issues whereby the U.S. and the U.S. military and the U.S. Government can be helpful to the Nigerian Government as they take on this threat.”
Meanwhile, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged President Buhari to end the insurgency in the country as it poses the greatest threat to his administration, although the counsel came at a time when the country’s troops were winning their battles against the insurgents.
He further hinted that the American government has a broad range of assistance programs and cooperation with all four countries in the Lake Chad Basin region and will work with each of them based on the bilateral relationship between them and the requests made.
According to the US representative: “We are involved in active discussions with the entire region to talk about these kinds of issues. But I can assure that based on our experience recently, the channels of communication are wide open in terms of what we are looking to be able to do together with the Nigerians to help counter Boko Haram.
“So the relationship is good. We’re looking forward, we’re looking at training, we’re looking at equipment, we’re looking at a whole range of issues whereby the U.S. and the U.S. military and the U.S. Government can be helpful to the Nigerian Government as they take on this threat.”
Meanwhile, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged President Buhari to end the insurgency in the country as it poses the greatest threat to his administration, although the counsel came at a time when the country’s troops were winning their battles against the insurgents.
