US Cannot End Boko Haram in Nigeria, Says Director in ONSA

The Director of Policy Strategy in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Ambassador Layiwola Lasehinde, has made it clear that America cannot bring Boko Haram to an end in Nigeria even as he said that it will still take much longer to end the activities of the sect and other acts of insurgency.

“It took American 10 years to locate Bin Laden and when you are talking of resources, American government spent huge amount of money in search of Bin Laden, who was sitting in a house close to a military station.

“America cannot solve the terrorism problem in Afghanistan and they were there for years, spending $1million everyday. They were also in Iraq, spending $1m everyday also. In fact, what they have achieved there now was worse than when they got there.

“We are not saying that we will not get to the end of terrorism in Nigeria, but don’t expect a quick resolution. It is a virus that had entered the political body of the country and it will be extremely difficult to remove it because there are many disgruntled people all over supporting them.”

Lasehinde, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at a symposium organised by the United Nigerians Forum with the theme: “Nigeria of Our Dreams,” said t there would be no meaningful development in the affected region until there was peace.

He added that doctors sent there had been kidnapped and killed.

“If you try to build anything there, you will be massacred. So peace has to be restored there first to achieve meaningful development in the area.”

He said the European Union and the Department for International Development are already involved in a comprehensive strategy to ensure transparency in the development of a blue print for the area in line with the International best practices.

The initiative, he added, has long term, short term and medium term measures to rejuvenate socio-economic activities in the region.

“The prime programme will be jointly funded by the federal government, states and the development partners, which had pledged several billions of naira for the execution of the programme.

“The government had also put in place, a victim support programme. The office of the NSA had designed two programmes to combat terrorism and from discouraging young people from buying into the concept of terrorism.”
He, however, said that the federal government has remained focused despite the security challenges posed by the activities of the Boko Haram sect in the north eastern part of the country.

Lasehinde said the office of the NSA had also started a programme to protect critical assets of the country by compiling the comprehensive list of their current locations, and condition of the assets.

Under the arrangement, he said the strategic assets including government and private buildings such as NNPC headquarters, police headquarters, secretariats, educational institutions, and other facilities, would be fully guided against terrorists attacks.

Others at the event included Mike Ozekhome (SAN), former presidential spokesman, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, Mr. Umar Farouk, Dr. Inusa Tanko, Hajia Ramatu Bala_Usman, Hajia Aisha Bako, Dr. Kunle Fagbemi, and Mr. Bankole Afilaka, among others, who also spoke.