×

Okupe Assures Nigerians Of Military’s Ability To Defeat Boko Haram

The Federal Government has given the assurance that it is winning the war against Boko Haram and other forms of insurgency in the country. This … Continue reading Okupe Assures Nigerians Of Military’s Ability To Defeat Boko Haram


The Federal Government has given the assurance that it is winning the war against Boko Haram and other forms of insurgency in the country.

This is coming on the heels of the assertion of the Governor of Borno State, Mr Kashim Shettima that the militants are better armed and may prove difficult to defeat by the Nigerian Army.

The Federal Government also dismissed the governor’s position that the country is at war, saying what the country is experiencing is a guerrilla warfare from the insurgents.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, said it was wrong for any one to say that the Nigerian military cannot defeat the Boko Haram insurgents.

Governor Shettima had spoken against the backdrop of the incessant killing of villagers by the sect members in various settlements in Borno State.

Okupe said, “It is wrong for anyone, Nigerian or foreigner, to assert that our armed forces cannot defeat the Boko Haram insurgents or to insinuate that the insurgents are better armed.

“We believe strongly that the statement made by the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, that the insurgents are better armed than our military is based purely on a civilian perception of the situation at hand.

“It is clear that Governor Shettima does not have the expertise to categorize or classify the effectiveness of any weapon.

“We state categorically that the Nigerian military is one of the best equipped in Africa and that in 2014, the Federal Government made budgetary provision in excess of N1 trillion for the military and other security agencies, an amount, which is about 22 percent of our entire national budget for this year.

The President’s publicist also disagreed with the opinion in certain quarters that the morale of the military is low and that there is lack of motivation for members of the Armed Forces.

According to him, the Nigerian Armed Forces are spurred by patriotic sense of duty, national pride and strict adherence to professional ethics while the insurgents are motivated by ideological fanaticism.