The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has weighed in on the debate surrounding which Nigerian president was responsible for defeating Boko Haram.
The group asserted that it was former President Muhammadu Buhari, not his predecessor, former President Goodluck Jonathan, who achieved this feat.
This stance was conveyed in a statement on Tuesday by the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
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“It is no longer news that the issue of who actually defeated Boko Haram between two former presidents, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan has become a debate.
“Senator Ali Ndume had earlier credited Jonathan with the feat, but he has been contradicted by Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to Buhari who contended that it was his former boss who brought Boko Haram to its knees.
“We are miffed by Senator Ali Ndume’s fairy tale about Jonathan defeating Boko Haram. It is an attempt to twist the facts of history.
“The reality is that Jonathan more or less allowed the Boko Haram insurgency to fester beyond control by refusing to act at the right time and by diverting funds meant to purchase weapons to fight the insurgents.
“History is a continuum. It does not forget. Today was born from the wombs of yesterday and both time measurements remain connected and protected by historiography, their lines criss-crossing as they rise and fall.
“History recalls how former President Goodluck Jonathan released a whooping sum of $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms for the military fighting insurgency in the North East to his party men. The dirty deal was leaked in 2016.
“The result was catastrophic. Boko Haram fighters soon outgunned Nigerian soldiers and the latter were forced to take to their heels on several occasions.
“It is on record, at least, that 315 Nigerian soldiers fled to neighbouring Niger when confronted by Boko Haram fighters at Malam Fatori, a Borno town in November 2014. This situation lasted till the last days of Jonathan in office. It was Buhari who reversed it.
“A CNN report by Nic Robertson, a senior international correspondent, published on 15th January, 2015 under the caption ‘Nigerian Military Disorganised, Underequipped in Battle Against Boko Haram’ revealed how a Nigerian soldier was left on the battlefield after his comrades fled in the face of Boko Haram attack.
“History is forever insulated from amnesia. Its dark lanes still recollect the abduction of 276 Chibok school girls from their school hostel on the night of 14th April, 2014.
“Those girls could have been rescued if early efforts had been made but Jonathan delayed action for about 19 days playing the cynic.
“So how can anyone turn around to tell Nigerians that Jonathan defeated Boko Haram? On the contrary, ex-President Muhammadu Buhari energised the army and motivated them.
“Huge amounts of money was spent on the military and Buhari’s defence allocation hit five trillion naira.
“There was regular recruitment into the army. Sophisticated weapons, including F-16 fighter planes were bought from America and the game changed. It was now the turn of Boko Haram to flee at the approach of fearless Nigerian soldiers. Six Super Tucano jets bought by Buhari from the US were the last nails in the coffin of Boko Haram.
“According to Aviacon, 32 fighter jets purchased by the Buhari administration elevated Nigeria to the level of the military super power in Africa.
“It is therefore crystal clear who defeated Boko Haram. Buhari remains the hero. He was the president who ensured that funds meant for the military was not diverted elsewhere.
“He ascertained that sophisticated weapons were purchased and troops were adequately motivated.”
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