President Muhammadu Buhari visited the Republic of Chad on Thursday where he was received at the Hassan Djamouss International Airport by President Idriss Deby and other top ranking officials in that country.
Buhari later had a private discussion with Deby which was then expanded to include the delegations from both countries. The bilateral discussion focused mainly on the security situation in the region.
President Buhari thanked his Chadian counterpart for that country’s “invaluable support in the fight against insurgency and sustained acts of terrorism in the north east of Nigeria.”
“Your troops have stood shoulder-to-shoulder and fought gallantly with ours, in the fight against the forces of evil. This is a remarkable show of good neighborliness, which we must reinforce in the years ahead,” he said.
The two presidents condemned the scourge of Boko Haram and their inhumane acts against civilians. They underlined the consequences of insecurity which include displacement of people and disruption of their trading activities, livelihood, and destruction of lives and properties in Nigeria and the entire Lake Chad region.
Speaking at the meeting, Buhari said: “Your Excellency, permit me to note that our security is intricately linked. This compels us to cooperate fully on security issues in a robust and sustained manner. To this end, we must redouble our efforts to operationalize the Multi-National Joint Task Force with its Headquarters in Ndjamena. I believe the Task Force will stabilize the areas that have been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency when it becomes fully operational. I am very confident that, Insha Allah, this insurgency will be brought to an end soon.”
Both Heads of State expressed their willingness and commitment to collaborate at all levels to make more effective the common fight against the Boko Haram sect and restore peace and security which are vital for development in the region.
Buhari condoled the families of Chadian soldiers who passed away in the battle field, and paid special tribute to the gallant soldiers.
President Deby commended the commitment of President Buhari to eradicating the Boko Haram terrorist group. He also reaffirmed the commitment and availability of Chad to collaborate with Nigeria on both bilateral and multilateral levels.
Deby agreed with the need to move quickly to make the Multinational Joint Task Force operational in order to restore peace and security in the north-east of Nigeria and everywhere Boko Haram operates.
Both Heads of State agreed that war on Boko Haram should be supported by emergency development initiatives in areas affected by this insurgency group. This will be the only way to overcome the harmful effects faced by local populations.
