The National Democratic Front (NDF) has welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari’s show of confidence on the service chiefs and security agencies to address the security challenges in the country.
According to the group, the president’s trust has vindicated the efforts of the service chiefs which it said has yielded positive gains in the war against terrorism, banditry and other acts of criminalities.
The NDF made these known at a press conference by its Secretary-General, Dr Abdulkadir Bolaji on Friday.
While admitting the barrage of challenges confronting the nation, Bolaji reckoned that significant progress has been made in the last six years thanks to President Buhari’s appointments.
From controlling 17 local government areas, the NDF said the military has confined Boko Haram terrorists to the fringes of Lake Chad.
With the successes recorded in the North-East, South-East, and other parts of the country, the group noted that with time, the country’s security threats would be a thing of the past.
Commending President Buhari for providing political will to end the insecurity, the group also hailed the service chiefs for its exemplary leadership, marshalling of effective strategies.
It, however, called on all well-meaning Nigerians to rally support for the government and troops.
Read the full statement below:
The National Democratic Front welcomes you all to this important press conference to shed light on our position regarding the confidence of President Muhammadu Buhari in the efforts of the Service Chiefs in addressing the security challenges in the country.
As a critical stakeholder in the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria, we wish to state that we have followed events in the country carefully regarding the security challenges in North-East Nigeria and other parts of the country.
It is indeed a statement of the fact the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari in addressing the security challenges in the country remains unflinching and his trust in the heads of the various security agencies to deliver on this critical mandate is indeed commendable.
The National Democratic Front has stated in numerous forums that the commitment displayed by the Service Chiefs, as well as heads of other security agencies in the country, has yielded positive gains in the war against insurgency and other acts of criminalities in the country.
It is also worthy of note that since the assumption of office by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, Nigeria has indeed experienced a considerable improvement in the security sector in the country and this is mainly attributable to the calibre of appointments made and the marching orders he gave on inception for the relocation of the command structure of the Armed Forces to North-East Nigeria.
In retrospection, President Muhammadu Buhari inherited a very precarious security situation in the country with over 17 local government areas under the control of Boko Haram terrorist in North-East Nigeria and a heightened level of insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory and other parts of the country.
The situation was indeed precarious to the extent that Nigeria was on the brinks of collapse due to terrorist and militant groups’ activities that wreaked havoc in the polity with impunity that resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of properties running into hundreds of millions of naira.
We must also recall that upon assumption of office by President Muhammadu Buhari; he indeed hit the ground running by identifying that one of the ways of tackling the security challenges in the country was to provide credible leadership in the Armed Forces and this much he did with the quality of appointments that followed suit in the Armed Forces in Nigeria.
The National Democratic Front acknowledges that this singular act by the President indeed set the ball rolling and responsible for the decimation of the Boko Haram terrorist groups and other militant groups that wreaked havoc in the country.
Today, we can conveniently say that no Nigerian territory is under the Boko Haram terrorist’s control. Their activities have been confined to the Lake Chad basin region’s fringes, which is indeed an outstanding achievement that must be commended.
The Service Chiefs indeed delivered on their mandate in ways too numerous to mention. They have worked tirelessly over the years to ensure that all criminal elements in the country are neutralized. This much President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged in its recent statement expressing his confidence in the Service Chiefs to deliver in the onerous task at hand.
The National Democratic Front indeed aligns with President Muhammadu Buhari’s position with regards to the efforts of the Service Chiefs. We are thereby pledging our unalloyed support to the government’s efforts in addressing the security challenges in the country thus far.
We are also stating in unequivocal terms that the past six years of the Muhammadu Buhari administration have witnessed tremendous improvements in the country’s security situation despite the array of politically sponsored acts of violence across the country.
The National Democratic Front is aware that there is a grand plot by some mischievous elements to undermine the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari through the covert sponsorship of criminal gangs in the country.
We must not fail to commend the Service Chiefs that have indeed provided exemplary leadership in this critical point of our existence through the marshalling of strategies that have been most effective in addressing the country’s security challenges.
Our commendation also goes to President Muhammadu Buhari for providing the political will necessary in the war against insurgency and other forms of criminalities in the country. President Muhammadu Buhari has consistently displayed true traits of a leader who has the interest of the people at heart.
Therefore, the successes in North-East Nigeria, South-East Nigeria, and other parts of the country are indeed a testament that with time, the country’s security challenges would be a thing of the past. We are urging the Service Chiefs to continue in this fashion and build upon the successes recorded so far towards the quest for ridding Nigeria of criminal elements across the country.
The journey has been challenging as well successful because the commitment of the Service Chiefs has been unflinching. It behoves on all well-meaning Nigerians to rally support for the government in the quest towards addressing the security challenges in the country.
The National Democratic Front lauds in unequivocal terms the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari so far and wishes to state that Nigeria is indeed blessed to have a president in the mould of President Muhammadu Buhari.
That we are where we are today is indeed a testament that President Muhammadu Buhari has done well by taking Nigeria from a state of despair to a state of hope for better things ahead. Consequently, our support for the administration’s efforts in addressing the country’s security challenges remains unflinching.
We thank you all for your time and attention. In due time and season, Nigeria shall overcome its security challenges.
