July 7, 2021

Some people are crying marginalization but if you take a closer look at some states, you will discover that there is more marginalization of “some ethnic nationalities in these states than they accuse Buhari of doing.”

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has accused some persons in government, the military and political elite of fuelling Boko Haram attacks because they were benefiting from the insurgency.

Zulum who spoke Wednesday morning on Channels television said there is decay in the military that has whittled down its power in the modern era, stressing that the Nigerian military of “40 years ago was better than what we have today.”

He said the war against Boko Haram terrorists has subsisted because some persons in government and others in the military do not want the war to end. According to Zulum, President Buhari should not be blamed for the whole challenges facing the country. He accused his governor colleagues of adding to the suffering of the masses by refusing to offer good governance in their respective states.

According to him, some people are crying marginalization but if you take a closer look at some states, you will discover that there is more marginalization of “some ethnic nationalities in these states than they accuse Buhari of doing.”

The Borno governor said both the military and the police are under-funded and under-equipped to perform optimally in the face of current insecurity reality across the country.

He said the immediate challenge is to decongest the IDP camps, some of which, he said, are beginning to witness increasing crime, procreation and other ills that add to the already bloated basket of challenges for the state.

Zulum’s comments were coming barely 24 hours after six North-East governors on Tuesday night called for continued collaboration among security agencies in the fight against insurgency in the sub-region.

The governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Bomo, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe, who met under the auspices of North-East Governors Forum (NEGF), said the collaboration was necessary to sustain the current gains recorded in the war against insurgents.

In a communique signed by the forum’s Chairman, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno at the end of its fifth meeting in Jalingo,  the governors noted the general improvement in the security situation in the sub-region.

The forum called on the diplomatic community, partners and donor agencies supporting the sub-region to activate the process of transiting from humanitarian aid to stabilizing the region and finding a permanent solution to the insurgency and banditry.

According to the communique, the transition would ensure sustainability and give the people the opportunity to help themselves out of poverty.

The forum also decried the negative impact of drug and narcotic substances in the region and the extent to which it aided the insurgency and other forms of criminality.

It called for support in the area of curtailing drug trafficking and enforcing narcotic control within the region and across the various borders.

While congratulating the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen Farouk Yahaya, the NEGF condoled with President Muhammadu Buhari and the families of the late COAS, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and the 10 others who died in a recent helicopter crash.

Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno, Darius Ishaku of Taraba, Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa and  Bala Muhammed of Bauchi were at the meeting.

Others were Gov. Inua Yahaya of Gombe and the Deputy Governor of Yobe, Alhaji Idi Barde