Just In: It is already clear that those from Abuja cannot defeat Boko Haram — Prof Yusuf

President Muhammadu Buhari’s kinsman, and former Executive Secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof Usman Yusuf, has said the security challenges facing the country cannot be defeated by deploying military in the troubled regions.

While describing the escalating security challenges under the Buhari administration as 'depressing', he said the security problems are mostly local, and unless local solutions like that of the Niger Delta, the problems will never go away.

Yusuf made the statement in an interview with Daily Sun.


He said, "It is very depressing for everybody in this country today; kiIIings everywhere and it calls for serious concerns by the leadership and the locals. The leadership is supposed to pay attention to what is happening.

On the way out, he says, "What we do everyday is to call soldiers to control problem when it gets worse; insecurity is always local, Niger Delta issue is Niger Delta, Boko Haram is local, banditry is local. Unless we address local problems, soldiers cannot solve insecurity for us. Soldiers didn’t solve insecurity problem in Niger Delta, soldiers will not solve Boko Haram problem, and they will not solve banditry problem, soldiers are just one part of the solution.

On how to go about it, he said, "We have to involve everybody and make them understand why you have this problem.



"The government understood why there was Niger Delta agitation because there was inherent injustice; you were getting oil from people and polluting their land. So, President Umaru Yar’Adua had to sit, understand and listen.

He also expressed disappointment over the management of the NDDC which was meant to address the issues of Niger Delta region.

He said, "What is happening in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is a shame, after all that the nation went through and Yar’Adua did, and yet, some people are cheating their own people.

Speaking further on local solutions to addressing insecurity, he said, "Insecurity cannot be solved by soldiers coming from Abuja, it is a local problem; soldiers are just there to put off the flame.




"There should be discussions and mobilization of the whole nation about what the problems are. There has to be an understanding of why is this thing happening in Zamfara, why is this thing happening in Katsina, why is it happening in Maiduguri. Soldiers coming from Abuja just blow hot air and leave you with the problem.

"So, the government has to mobilise the whole country to understand what the problem is and sit and discuss with all the stakeholders. Soldiers are important; they are there to protect the population. But this bandits are just a ragtag army, not trained, never been to any school, and yet they are defeating a nation of a whole army and police.


"All they have is rusty Ak-47, they don’t have tanks, APC, rocket propelled grenades. They come into villages on motorcycles from the forests; they didn’t come from outside countries, they are Nigerians, and Buratai said over 90 per cent of them are Nigerians, and they are in the forest; so unless you have boot in the forest and boot on the ground, this thing will not end.

"Nigerian soldiers and police will not enter those forests and live there. So, you have to have people locally. The fundamental problem people of this country have to face is that we do not have government; do not have control of the authority.

"If you don’t have control of your forests then you are just there waiting for them to come and catch you. Government must have full control of its forests; just as they have Forest Rangers in East Africa, South Africa, Asia and even the United States, you must develop forest rangers that are lightly armed.



"We have to police our forests; you have no business being in the forests if you don’t have licence. All our Fulani people living in the forests are supposed to be licenced, and there should be forest guards / forest rangers from local communities, but not from Lagos, Kano or any other place. You need to employ local community lightly armed to police the forests, and this thing will go away. Those coming from Abuja are there to put out the fire, like fire brigade and they will go back and leave the people.