Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN
has said President Muhammadu Buhari is beginning to change the narrative and
perception of leadership in Nigeria and Africa because of his widely acclaimed
uprightness and honesty.
Osinbajo stated this while delivering a
public lecture titled ``The Unravelling of Boko Haram and the Rebuilding of the
North-East of Nigeria’’ at the Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for
International Affairs on Thursday.
Before he spoke, the Vice President had
been received in the school by the Harvard University Marshall, Ms. Jackie
O’Neil, and Prof. Jacob Olupona of the Divinity School among other top Harvard
officials and professors.
Osinbajo said the Buhari presidency offered
Nigeria and indeed Africa the best opportunity to convince the entire world
about leadership perception in the country and the continent.
According to the Vice President, ``the
commitment that the Federal government has made is to be consistent and there
is no distrust for the political leadership in Nigeria today, and for good
reason, this has promoted the easy embrace of dissenters of all shades by
the people.’’
He said: ``Nigeria has a great opportunity
to change the perception of leadership as being corrupt and unreliable, with
President Buhari who is widely acknowledged as being forthright and honest, Mai
gaskiya (the truthful one, as he is known in the North).’’
``Transparency in government, social
investments, provision of education and healthcare could improve the
government's image as being responsive.’’
Prof. Osinbajo, who spoke on some of the
causes of Nigeria’s security, social, political and economic challenges, noted
that governance failure in the past culminated in the myriad of problems that
manifested in the form of terrorism, kidnapping, general insecurity and many
others that predated the Buhari government.
On the Boko Haram insurgency, Prof.
Osinbajo said the inability of previous governments to implement programmes and
policies that had direct impact on poor Nigerians, and endemic corruption, led
to a degeneration of the situation in the North-East.
He however expressed optimism that the
Buhari government’s posture and actions had changed the narrative for the
better, stressing that the international community and Nigerians, including a
few skeptics now believe in the government’s abilities to change things.
He said: ``Clearly one of the strongest
reasons for President Buhari's victory in the March 2015 Presidential election was
the expectation that going by his reputation as a no-nonsense soldier he would
defeat Boko Haram and restore peace to the North East.
``He moved quickly to realise this
objective, announcing a relocation of the Command and Control Headquarters to
Maiduguri right at the heart of the insurgency.
``With more effective leadership, command
and control, improved logistics and intelligence, better equipment and
motivation of the troops, the tide soon turned.’’
The Vice President told his audience that
the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari remained committed to
rebuilding the devastated North-eastern region through a comprehensive plan
that is also transparent.
According to Prof. Osinbajo, ``The
overall objective of the Buhari Plan is to develop a structure and process
capable of providing leadership, co-ordination and synergy in achieving its
targeted goals.’’
He said the goals are to: ``Restore peace,
stability and civil Authority in the North-East region; co-ordinate the
mobilization of targeted resources to respond to the humanitarian crisis and
jumpstart the region’s economies
while strategically repositioning the region for long-term prosperity.
``Providing equal access to basic services
and infrastructure; promoting a civic culture that integrates zero tolerance to
sexual and gender based violence with peaceful co-existence as the success
indicator.
``Accelerating equal access to quality
education for girls as well as boys and building social cohesion; targeting
social and economic development and capacity building that reduces the
inequalities affecting the poor, particularly women and youth.
``Addressing environmental degradation
through sustainable measures to halt desertification and protect the Lake Chad
resources; physical reconstruction of infrastructure especially schools,
hospitals and dwellings in areas considered safe for residents to
return.’’
Regarding treatment of abused women and
girls, Prof. Osinbajo said despite the daunting challenge, the government in
collaboration with local and foreign partners was establishing special
programmes and shelters for abused women and girls.
Citing the case of the recently released
21 Chibok girls and the teenage bomber that refused to blow up herself at the
Dikwa IDP camp in February, VP Osinbajo said government had a strong commitment
to impact on the lives of both the victims of the insurgency and other persons
affected.
He stressed the need for stakeholders to
partner with government at all levels to counter the ideology of the insurgents
as one of the measures of addressing the menace of terrorism.
``After the trauma and deprivations of
captivity on the day of their release they looked frightened, malnourished and
unkempt. But such is the power of freedom that few days after their release,
the girls were seen dancing and rejoicing heartily at a Thanksgiving service
where their parents reunited with them for the first time in over two years!
``What the stories of the Chibok girls and
that of the converted suicide bomber point to is the certain defeat of Boko
Haram insurgency and the waning resonance of its underpinning ideology.
``While we had to put troops on the ground
to liberate occupied territories and free captive people in the North-East, we
would have to continue the battle for the minds of the radicalized many so that
we can have more Aminas of Dikwa saying no to terrorist propositions of
death, despair and destruction.’’
He said government however acknowledged
the fact that the most important long term therapy was the assurance that the
state has the capacity and the will to protect the most vulnerable.
The Vice President concluded that the
Federal Government’s commitment and strategy in combating Boko Haram and
rebuilding the region was anchored on its anti-corruption posture which would
ultimately ensure judicious utilization of resources for both the military’s
operations and in implementing the non-kinetic aspect of reconstructing the
north east.
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Politics