The Lake Chad region is not at ease and neither should its people be since this promised land of opportunity, which binds together the destinies of nations is not at ease, President Bola Tinubu said in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the opening of the 5th Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum at the Muhammadu Indimi International Conference Center, Tinubu said, “The stability of this region reminds us of why we need one another more than ever before. These challenges demand that we will power responsibly to guarantee the safety and prosperity of our people. I am delighted to join this push for a collective and objective response. The successes we have recorded in repelling threat to our borders and sovereignty by non-state actors owe much to the joint missions we have embarked upon.”
He said the “guarantee of peace must remain paramount, even when domestic politics or policies seek to undermine the nobility of our agreements to serve the people. We must not allow the geopolitical tensions across the world to divide us, nor should we permit ourselves to become tools in any of their agenda. The salvation of the Lake Chad region is neither in Europe nor in the Americas. It lies in the hands of all those gathered here today.”
He described the absence of cooperation, sincerity and fidelity to a shared cause as brothers’ keepers as the biggest threat the region could face. “We undermine this pact when we need an agreement to secure our borders, when misinformation and falsehood breed this mistrust, and when we jeopardize the freedom and choices of our people. Yes, the region has been severely threatened by Boko Haram and the so-called Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). Yet, none of these groups stands a chance against the collective strength of the state, let alone a multinational arrangement such as ours. Together, we hold the power to shield the defenceless and protect innocent lives, the very foundation of our humanity and well-being.”
He also said, “While military solutions are indispensable, they must be complemented by strategies that address the root causes of our insecurity, poverty, inequality and lack of opportunities for our youth and women. It is a tragic irony that Africa, a continent with the youngest population in the world, should succumb to destructive ideologies and the drivers of conflict. This is the challenge before us, to transform the demographic dividend into a possible good power.”
In his remarks, Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa assured the delegates that the military forces “are together with you all the way. Success for us is the ability of the IDPs to go back to their communities, refugees to go back to their countries, and for the Lake Chad region to flourish the way it used to be before. It is our desire that we go back to that. We all have continued to sacrifice together, and it is important that we win.” He appealed for more support for the Multinational Joint Task Force. He said, “The kinetic and non-kinetic actions must go together, and that is the only way we are going to get results. I’m very happy to hear that the Governor of Diffa is here. I want to assure him and all members that we are one family. There is no dispute between us that cannot be solved together to ensure that they come back fully into the fold, so that as brothers and sisters, we can continue to forge forward for the good of Africa.”
