Boko Haram: Buhari Wants Nigeria To Head Joint Task Force

President Muhammadu Buhari has told his counterparts from Niger, Cameroon, Chad, Benin that he would want Nigeria to be in charge of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, MNJTF, which was formed to fight against the Boko Haram insurgents in the border towns in the countries.

Buhari, in his address at the Extra-Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin held at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Thursday, also promised that his government will redeem the $100 million pledged by the last administration for the smooth take-off of the MNJTF.

The Nigerian President said his “government will keep faith with this promise.”

Speaking on the plan to rotate the command of the task force among the participating countries every six months, Buhari explained that it could backfire. He urged his colleagues to allow Nigeria control the MNJTF since the operation is in Nigeria.

Buhari explained that, “While I agree that this is a joint operation with shared responsibilities, I am, however, of the opinion that military operations that are subjected to a rapid turnover of command and control structures, six months duration, as it is being proposed in the documents before us, do not augur well for effectiveness and efficiency.”

“Such a process will undermine, even if it is not intended, the military capacity to sustain the push against the insurgents, who also have the uncanny ability to adapt and rejig their operational strategies,” he emphasized.

“I am inclined, on account of the above, to suggest for your excellences consideration that Nigeria retains the position of the Force Commander of the MNJTF for the period of the war effort.

“This command will be to the effectiveness of military strategy, since Nigeria will be providing the bulk of the troops and the main theatre of the war is on Nigerian soil,” Buhari told the other leaders at the meeting.

Present at the meeting were Presidents of Niger Republic, Chad and Benin Reepublic; Mahamadou Issoufou, Idriss Deby Itno and Boni Yayi respectively. The President of Cameroun, Paul Biya, was represented by his Minister of Defence.