22nd September, 2016
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigeria will welcome intermediaries from the UN on the proposed swapping of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls with Boko Haram fighters held in custody.
The president made the proposal at a meeting with the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly in New York.
The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, confirmed Buhari’s position in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.
The president said the decision to welcome the UN was to show the administration’s commitment to get the girls released.
He said the government was willing to bend over backward to get the Chibok girls released from captivity.
Buhari, however, noted: “The challenge is in getting credible and bona fide leadership of Boko Haram to discuss with,” the President said, adding that, “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.