Steps taken against insurgency have made great impact, Buhari tells UN secretary-general

President Muhammadu Buhari says steps taken by Nigeria to address insurgency have made great impact.

According to a statement by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, Buhari said this on Wednesday while receiving António Guterres, United Nations secretary-general, at the presidential villa in Abuja.

The president also said while there are concerns that the attention on the Russia-Ukraine war could affect the focus on other issues, insurgency remains a threat to global peace, security and progress.

He, however, said the visit of the secretary-general had clearly shown that “the world has not forgotten us”.

“When we assumed office, the north-east was the major security problem we inherited in 2015, but we have been able to make people understand that you cannot kill people and shout Allahu Akbar (God is great!); it is either you don’t know what you are saying or you are simply stupid,” he said.

“God is a God of justice, so you cannot kill people and say ‘God is great’. Luckily, the people understood our message and it has made great impact.”

The president told Guterres that the government had started a gradual, but steady process of resettlement and reintegration, in which displaced citizens are encouraged to return to their homes.

In his remarks, the secretary-general, who had visited Borno state on Tuesday, said what he saw during his visit was a departure from the pictures of hopelessness and despair painted, adding that “people exuded hope”.

“Yesterday, I visited Maiduguri where the United Nations is supporting the internally displaced. I was deeply moved by their stories and struggles,” he said.

“These include the struggles with hunger, with the world food programme projecting 4.1 million people in the north-east of Nigeria to be food insecure in the upcoming lean season.

“But despite all they have seen and endured, the people I met remain hopeful and committed to returning to their communities and resuming their lives. To that end, I welcome the establishment of the presidential committee on the repatriation, returns and resettlement of displaced persons in the north-east.”