BANKOLE ABE FROM ICIR NIGERIA
Buhari urged leaders to place a dividend on youth development, with more seriousness and actionable ideas in promoting skills acquisition, while preventing idleness.
“When I assumed power in 2015, Boko Haram held about two-thirds of Borno State, half of Yobe State, and a couple of local government areas in Adamawa State, all in the North-East of Nigeria.
“We have been able to retrieve these swathes of territories by investing over $1 billion to acquire hard and software weaponry from the US and other friendly countries to carry out sustained operations against insurgency since 2015,” the President said.
According to him, these monies would have been better spent on critical infrastructure such as healthcare and education.
Buhari said that despite the difficult times confronting the country, it would continue to spend its very scarce and lean resources to ensure that the military is well equipped for the task.
Also at the event, the President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, said the 2023 conference theme was based on the recommendations of the ‘Nouakchott Declaration’ that emerged from the inaugural conference.
