On the one-year anniversary of the Boko Haram kidnapping of more than 200 school girls from
Chibok, President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, in a New York Times op-ed, concisely laid
out his approach to defeating Boko Haram. His op-ed is remarkable for its
candor, realism, and its recognition of his government’s need to address the
social and economic drivers of support for Boko Haram.
Throughout his career, Buhari has
been a Nigerian nationalist, a sensibility among many Nigerians that has been
in retreat since the aftermath of the 1967-70 civil war. It is no surprise that
he states that “…the answer to defeating Boko Haram begins and ends with
Nigeria.” Unlike the Jonathan government that remains in office until May 29,
he does not shift responsibility to foreign militaries and leaders by
characterizing Boko Haram as the latest front in the international war on
terrorism and therefore an international responsibility. Having established the
principle that Boko Haram is Nigeria’s responsibility, he goes on to welcome
the resumption of a military training relationship with the United States, and
calls for better coordination with Chad and Niger in the fight against Boko
Haram. In Nigeria, he says, he will deploy more troops from other parts of the
country “…where for too long they have been used by successive governments to
quell dissent.”
Naming poverty and ignorance as the
causes of Boko Haram, Buhari is far more direct than his predecessor. “If you
are starving and young and in search of answers as to why your life is so
difficult, fundamentalism can be alluring….” Boko Haram offers “…impressionable
young people money and the promise of food, while the group’s mentors twist
their minds with fanaticism.” The solution, Buhari says, is to offer an
alternative, especially by boosting education, in particular for girls. Buhari
is clear about the order of his priorities: first, defeat Boko Haram and then
reform education.
Regarding the Chibok girls, Buhari
is forthright: he does not know where the girls are or whether they can be
rescued. He refuses to make promises of rescue that he may not be able to keep.
Instead, he promises that his government will do everything it can to “bring
them home.”
Buhari’s op-ed is less than 900
words, only about 300 words longer than this post. Yet its analysis of Boko
Haram and how to counter it is remarkably astute. The specific measures he
proposes are practical and within his authority and ability to implement. In
his call for the restoration of a military training relationship with the
United States, he will be pushing against an open door. The relationship was
suspended in the first place by Abuja, not Washington. Other West African
nations have long complained about the absence of Nigerian leadership. They are
likely to welcome his coordination of their efforts against Boko Haram. In
short order, he can redeploy the Nigerian military in a more
effective way.