“As a show of
commitment to swapping the abducted schoolgirls from Chibok with Boko
Haram fighters in custody, President Muhammadu Buhari has told the
United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, that Nigeria would
welcome intermediaries from the global body,” a statement from the
Nigerian presidency says.
Speaking during a bilateral meeting with
the UN scribe at the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly in New
York, President Buhari said the Nigerian government was willing to bend over backwards, to get the Chibok girls released from captivity.
This information is disclosed by Femi Adesina, a presidential spokesperson wrote on Facebook on Thursday, September 22, 2016.
“The challenge is in getting credible
and bona fide leadership of Boko Haram to discuss with,” the President
said. “The split in the insurgent group is not helping matters.
Government had reached out, ready to negotiate, but it became difficult
to identify credible leaders. We will welcome intermediaries such as UN
outfits, to step in.”
The President reiterated that the
teachings of Boko Haram were far from being Islamic, as neither Islam,
nor any other religion, advocates hurting the weak and innocent.
“The fact that they kill men, women,
children, and other people wantonly, and shout Allahu Akbar (God is
great) shows that they do not know that Allah at all. If they did, they
would not shed innocent blood,” President Buhari said.
He thanked Ban Ki-moon for the moral and
material support given to Nigeria, which has enabled the country
surmount many of the challenges facing her.
In his response, the UN Secretary
General congratulated President Buhari on the anti-corruption war,
declaring: “You are highly respected by world leaders, including myself.
Your persona has given your country a positive image.”
He said the UN recognized the
achievements of the Buhari administration against Boko Haram, urging
that human rights be upheld always, to prevent a repeat of the scenario
being witnessed in Syria.
Ban Ki-moon also thanked the Nigerian
leader for his commitment to issues on climate change, adding that the
government should “own the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” for
the good of its citizens.
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