By Tina George, Minna
Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has expressed confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari’s capacity to bring an end to corruption and terrorism in the country.
He commended the renewed efforts of Buhari effort towards confronting the problems bedeviling the nation head-on.
The former President who stated this while fielding questions by Journalists at his Hilltop residence in Minna stated that if the President pursues his strategies resolutely, he will attain success in recovering some of the country’s stolen monies.
” Though the government is still new, so far, I am confident that they are doing well. They have identified the problems and they look resolute in confronting these problems head-on and there are a lot of people in the society who are offering a lot of sound advice on how to move the country forward and are not relenting.
” If the strategies of President Buhari (are) pursued resolutely, I believe it will achieve some degree of success especially with those who (have) stolen our oil”, he said.
Babangida who is 74 years old today while reminiscing on his actions and activities in the past years admitted that he missed the late Chief M.K.O Abiola saying he still thinks about him all the time.
“I miss Abiola. Let me (say), last week I dug out some letters he (Abiola) wrote to me and I read it, so that shows we are still spiritually connected. I am missing him.”
The former leader then urged the people to support the President Buhari’s administration to enable it achieve its objectives adding that the people’s support and understanding will go a long way in helping the President achieve the objectives of ensuring security and wiping out corruption.
Commending the recent decision of the federal government to dialogue with the Boko Haram sect, Babangida said the President is right in trying to go into negotiation with the sect. However he added that government will not talk to a vacuum.
“I think there is a general misunderstanding of the whole concept of insurgency, you can call it anything, instabiliy or terrorism. We are not fighting a regular army where you can confront them with sheer use of force and weapons to overwhelm the enemy, no, we have gotten a small trained army whose tactics was to inflict maximum casualty on his so-called enemy, inflict casualty on him when and where he least expects it.
“President Buhari has said he will talk to people who are credible, who have been identified as some of the leaders of the insurgency but so far, apart from one or two names, we do not hear any other name. I don’t think the government will like to talk to a vacuum, to talk to people who are not worth talking to as far as these issues are concerned. So the government is right in being careful to identify and talk if there is anything to talk about.”
