Former Nigeria Army Chief of Staff who is now the Ambassador to Benin Republic, Tukur Buratai, has blamed the federal government’s failure to develop Nigeria as fuelling the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and other security challenges across the country.
“Any country that does not ensure the development of its people would have security challenges,” Mr Buratai said on Friday while delivering a lecture at a convocation ceremony at the Modibbo Adama University in Yola, Adamawa state.
Mr Buratai who also emphasised that the underdevelopment of the North-East was the major factor fuelling insurgency and insecurity in the geopolitical zone, however, said, the military should not be relied “as the only way to resolve our security challenges.”
According to him, “We must address the ideological, economic, social, and political factors. My recent diplomatic foray has further sharpened my views on the urgent need for military, as well as non-military solutions to the lingering and needless conflict.”
Mr Buratai said the security situation required synergy, political will, sacrifice and commitment of government, civil society, traditional rulers and all stakeholders to curtail the sporadic attacks and bring the conflict to a permanent conclusion.
“Central to the argument of this paper is that security and development in the North-East should not be addressed individually but as one intrinsic element and that development is a requirement for stabilisation,” the ambassador said.
He added that Nigeria was bound to continue to suffer more insecurity if she relied only on the military and other instruments of coercion to resolve the Boko Haram insurgency.
