Boko Haram: Don warns against use of external forces ilorin.info/fullnews.php?id=10560 A Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Hassan Salihu, yesterday asked the Federal Government to be cautious in seeking foreign intervention to combat the rising insurgency in the northern part of the country. He said although the involvement of foreign option becomes necessary in view of the deadly attacks emanating from the insurgents, the consequence of such lies in the unity of the country if the battle is eventually won. Besides, the don accused a fraction of leaders for being behind the militancy in the country. Delivering a paper at a round-table on peace and security held in honour of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State by the state council of Nigeria Union of Journalists at NUJ Press Centre Ilorin, Salihu, a former Dean of Business and Social Sciences of the University of Ilorin, said his reservation for such intercession by foreign countries stems from a possible backlas aftermath of the counter-terrorism campaign. The don, who alluded to a similar aid by American government during Olusegun Obasanjos administration, which led to a number of casualties in the army, warned against irrational decision on the part of government. He said the intervention might not also go down well with the top hierarchy of the security formation. He said, We are not against the foreign assistance but the problem is that the nations unity may have a problem. There is likelihood of resentment from the military because of a number of casualties among them. You would recall during Obasanjos administration, Victor Malu was a casualty when the Amebican government came up with its assistance. The question we need to ask is: Can foreign intervention guarantee stability in Nigeria?. At least five powerful countries including United States of America, United Kingdom, China, Italy and France among others had pledged to assist the country to surmount the raging problem of insecurity occasioned by extremists onslaught in the northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. Salihu also carpeted the government on its tactless approach in arresting the problem of insecurity, adding that the country was currently facing national crisis. He told the gathering that the government has not been able to do a credible threat analysis. He also expressed concern over a division within the leadership to solve the challenges posed by terrorist attacks, calling on the government to take bold steps by coming up with initiative that will solve the problem. The don said the resolution of crisis in the country lies in the corridor of government. Also speaking, the Chairman of the occasion, Professor Shehu Ahmed Jimoh, described Nigeria as a planless nation drifting towards the future. He called for re-orientation of youth and society to bring about fear of God. Jimoh, a retired professor of Educational Psychology, believed that there will be peace if leaders rule in line with dictates of God. Declaring the event open, the state Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, represented by his Special Assistant on Information, Prince Deji Oni, identified security as all inclusive business, pointing out that peace and tranquility depended on the people that made up the nation. In his welcome address, the chairman, state council of NUJ, Comrade Abiodun Abdulkareem, said the event was organised to assess the security challenges confronting the nation and offer a recipe to the problem.
Posted on: Wed, 14 May 2014 11:28:52 +0000
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