Despite the bombings still being carried
out in parts of the country by members of the Boko Haram sect,
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday said the sect is no longer in a
position to cause serious threat to his administration’s development
programmes.
While admitting that the sect’s
activities had led to loss of many lives and displacement of innocent
people in the country, the President boasted that since his assumption
of office in May 2015, Boko Haram has been systematically decimated.
According to a statement by his Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke at
a bilateral meeting he had with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh
Tamim Bin Hammad Al-Thani, on Sunday.
Buhari was also said to have talked on
the situation in the Middle East and commended the role Qatar is playing
in resolving the present Syrian crisis, the Palestinian cause and
efforts in reconstructing Gaza.
He said, “The conflicts in Yemen and
Syria, with their attendant humanitarian crisis, need genuine
international effort to solve.
“Nigeria as a peace-loving country
identifies with the State of Qatar in all her peace efforts in the world
to end terrorist activities.
“Nigeria is a victim of terrorism. It is
with heavy heart that I stand before you and say activities of Boko
Haram have led to loss of many lives and displacement of innocent people
in our dear nation.
“We, however, take pride to inform you
that since our coming to power, Boko Haram has been systematically
decimated and are in no position to cause serious threat to our
development programmes.
“I wish to reiterate that Nigeria
rejects violence and extremism in all their ramifications, and we assure
Your Highness that we are with the State of Qatar in your efforts to
fight terrorism and injustice in your region and in the world at large.”
Buhari also called for a lasting
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying, “We in Nigeria,
like the State of Qatar, favour a ‘Two State’ solution, with the State
of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel.
“I want to assure you that we will stand
side by side with you, until our brothers and sisters in Palestine
achieve their desired objectives.
“Our support for various Security
Council resolutions restoring and respecting 1967 boundaries with
Jerusalem as capital of Palestine is firm and unshaken.”
The President also stressed the need for
member states of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and
non-OPEC members to cooperate and find a common ground to stabilise
crude oil prices.
He described the current market
situation in the industry which has seen oil prices plummet by 70 per
cent since mid-2014, as unacceptable.
“As members of OPEC and Gas Exporting
Countries Forum, our relations in the areas of oil and gas, which our
two nations heavily rely on, need to be enhanced and coordinated for the
benefit of our people.
“The current market situation in the oil industry is unsustainable and totally unacceptable.
“We must cooperate both within and
outside our respective organisations to find a common ground to
stabilise the market, which will be beneficial to our nations,’’ the
President said on the second day of his state visit to Qatar.
The President used the occasion of his
address to the emir to commend the existing cordial bilateral relations
between both countries and invited prospective Qatari investors to take
advantage of the abundant opportunities in Nigeria and invest in the key
areas of energy, agriculture, real estate development, banking and
finance.
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