The Chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Commission Governors’ Forum (LCBCGF) and Governor of Yobe State, Nigeria, His Excellency Mai Mala Buni, CON, has pledged maximum support to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) towards the fulfilment of its mandate.
A statement signed by Lieutenant Colonel Iweha Ikedichi Onyenonachi, Acting Chief Military Public Information Officer said the Chairman made the pledge shortly after receiving a security briefing on the Lake Chad Basin Area at Headquarters MNJTF, on the sidelines of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum, hosted in N’Djamena, Chad.
Speaking during the occasion, the Governor commended the MNJTF for the tangible improvement in security, which, he noted, was evident across the Lake Chad Basin Area. He stated that, for the impact of the Commission’s developmental activities to be fully realised and optimised, more needed to be done to further improve security across the Lake Chad Basin Area.
He stressed the imperative of having troops on the ground on the islands, especially within the Nigerian and other countries territories of the Lake Chad Basin Area and urged the MNJTF to expedite action in this regard. He also disclosed that discussions were ongoing with the political leadership of the Republic of Niger regarding its return to the MNJTF, noting that the absence of Nigerien Forces provides terrorists a porous area to hibernate, move freely and engage in cross-border criminal activities before launching attacks in other areas.
While expressing appreciation to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, for the exclusive funding of Operation LAKE SANITY III on behalf of the Troops Contributing Countries as highlighted by the MNJTF Security Brief to the Chairman LCBCGF and Governor Yobe State. He stated that this demonstrated the determination of the President to see to the improvement of security across the Lake Chad Basin Area in order to enhance development and commercial activities. He pledged to brief the President, upon his return to Nigeria, on areas requiring improvement to facilitate increased socio-economic activities.
The Governor commended the foresight of the founding fathers of both the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the Multinational Joint Task Force. He pledged to mobilise the necessary political will to sustain the MNJTF’s operations and help curb the infiltration and activities of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
