President
Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja said corruption was largely responsible
for the inability of the Nigerian military to quickly defeat Boko Haram.
Speaking
at an audience with the Egypt’s Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed El-Tayeb,
President Buhari said that the loss of 14 local government areas to Boko Haram
had greatly tarnished the reputation of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He,
however, noted that with measures taken by his administration to curb
corruption and provide better weaponry, logistics, training and welfare for
soldiers on the frontlines, the Nigerian military had now almost totally
incapacitated Boko Haram as a fighting force.
He
added that the military had successfully recovered all territories that were
lost to the terrorist sect.
“When
we curbed corruption and removed the injustice in the military, we began to
make progress,’’ he said.
While
welcoming the support of Muslims across the world for Nigeria’s war against
insurgency, the president said that the war against terrorism was also a war
against injustice, and must be supported by Islam and all the major religions.
“You
can’t kill the innocent in churches or in mosques and shout Allahu Akbar,’’ he
added.
Mr.
Buhari noted that the visit of El-Tayeb and his expression of solidarity with
Nigeria in the war against terrorism was a clear indication of global Muslim
support for Nigeria against the unjust killing of the innocent by terrorists.
The
president reaffirmed his administration’s determination to resettle all persons
who were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.
He
thanked the Grand Imam for the donation of educational and medical supplies as
well as provision of scholarship to Nigeria’s Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs).
El-Tayeb
had earlier told Buhari that Muslims all over the world shared Nigeria’s pains
from terrorism.
He
said they would continue to support efforts to ensure the return of peace and
unity among all faiths in the country.
-NAN
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