12042018 - HERDSMEN/FARMERS’ CLASHES: Blame Gaddafi, irresponsible politicians — BUHARI

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018—5
POCKET CARTOON
STUDENTS' PROTEST—The third day (yesterday) of students' protest in Akure, Ondo State over
the hike in tuition fees by the state government.
Herdsmen/farmers' clashes: Blame
Gaddafi, irresponsible politicians
— BUHARI
Continues from page 1
Kingdom, President
Buhari also said his
administration was
making efforts towards
ensuring freedom for
Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi
School girl who was held
back for her refusal to
denounce her Christian
faith.
The President also said
he was compelled to
make his declaration for
a second term due to
pressures.
Welby, the head of the
Anglican Communion,
visited Buhari to express
his good wishes to the
President on the occasion
of his visit to the United
Kingdom.
Gaddafi trained,
armed gunmen
Responding to his
guest’s comment on the
clashes between
herdsmen and farmers in
different parts of Nigeria,
the President submitted:
“The problem is even
older than us; it has
always been there, but
now made worse by the
influx of armed gunmen
from the Sahel region into
different parts of the West
African sub-region.
"These gunmen were
trained and armed by
Muammar Gaddafi of
Libya. When he was
killed, the gunmen
escaped with their arms.
“We encountered some
of them fighting with
Boko Haram. Herdsmen
that we used to know
carried only sticks and
maybe a cutlass to clear
the way, but these ones
now carry sophisticated
weapons. The problem is
not religious, but
sociological and
economic. But we are
working on solutions.”
President Buhari
lamented that
“irresponsible politics”
had been brought into the
farmers/herders’ crisis but
assured that enduring
solutions would be found,
and justice done to all
concerned.
Efforts on to free
Leah Sharibu
Commenting on the fate
of Leah Sharibu, the
schoolgirl from Dapchi
still being held by
insurgents because she
refused to convert from
Christianity to Islam, the
President said efforts
were being made to
secure her release,
adding that government
decided not to go public
on its efforts.
He said: “We are
managing the matter
quietly. Making noise
would not help. We are
collecting as much
intelligence as possible,
working with the Red
Cross and other
international
organisations.
"There are too many
fraudulent people
around, who claim they
can do this and that. We
won’t deal with them.
That was how we got the
Dapchi girls back, and the
Chibok girls.”
On the war against
insurgency, he stressed
the need for continuous
Continues on page 52
$1bn for security equipment to fight Boko Haram
By Bose Adelaja, Ebun
Sessou & Frederick Okopie
THE problem stems
from misinformation on
the part of the government.
At a time, they stated
that Boko Haram had
been degraded. Later,
they told us that it had
been technically defeated.
So, the public is wondering
why a government
that said it had defeated
the sect, needs
$1bn to fight the same
sect it claimed to have
defeated.
Olaolu Oladipo, Analyst
HAVING claimed
to have fought
Boko Haram to a standstill,
what do they need
the fund for? I am sure
they are looking for money
to finance the 2019
election. It is an equivalent
of N360bn, which
can be used to reduce
the rate of unemployment
in the country.
Mr. Henry Ohanugo,
Businessman
IF the money is what
is needed to defeat
Boko Haram, the government
should go ahead
with its plan. The truth is
that we cannot totally
condemn the government’s
action. Since the
funds are needed for the
good of the country,
there is no problem about
that.
Anthony Olajuwon,
Self-employed
QUESTIONING the
$1bn for security
equipment is not necessary.
I am not sure it will
specifically be used in the
fight against Boko Haram.
However, from a historical
perspective, Nigerian governments
always do anything
whenever an election
approaches. What Nigerians
need to focus on is
grassroots mobilisation that
could be effective enough to
elect people who would
govern selflessly for the
common good.
David Lanre Lijadu, analyst
IT is very necessary
considering the nature
of anti-insurgency
war required to defeat
Boko Haram. All hands
must be on deck in the
fight against insurgency.
Nelson Ekujumi, Selfemployed
I
suspect that some
people are making
money from the Boko
Haram issue. It is now a
commercial venture. It
has become an ATM machine
for some people. I
cannot be convinced that
there is no relationship
between the 2019 election
and the $1bn.
Oyakunle Michael,
Self-employed