FORMER Borno State Governor and Senator, Ali Modu Sheriff, has urged the Federal Government to strengthen regional alliances with neighbouring countries as a critical step towards ending the Boko Haram insurgency.
Speaking as a guest on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria, Sheriff stressed that lasting peace in Nigeria’s northeast could not be achieved without meaningful cooperation with neighbouring states.
“What should be done is that we have to have a proper relationship with Cameroon, Chad, and Niger,” he said when asked what must be done to permanently end the Boko Haram crisis.
The former federal lawmaker recalled that during his tenure as governor [from 2003 to 2011], people mistakenly assumed the insurgency was a Borno issue.
“Even my next-door neighbour, then governor of Yobe State, did not believe this had nothing to do with the people of Borno.
“These are problems that were coming from outside Nigeria. Unfortunately for us in Borno State, we are bordered by Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, and it’s all land borders,” he said.
The senator added that “local actors were being financed and manipulated under religious pretexts,” noting that external forces were involved in destabilising Nigeria during his administration.
When asked to address the worsening economic hardship Nigerians are facing under the Tinubu administration, Sheriff acknowledged the pain but cautioned against blaming a single individual.
File photo of Nigerian troops during a military operation.
The Boko Haram insurgency has, for years, led to the loss of lives and displaced millions across Nigeria.
However, since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023, over 13,000 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters have been neutralised, while about 124,000 have surrendered, according to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
