THE international community should stop posturing and start providing practical support in the struggle against extremist violence in Nigeria, says one of the country’s most senior Church leaders, whose city was rocked on May 20 by attacks that killed more than 100 people.
Critical of the headline-grabbing displays of solidarity and statements of support by the United Nations and others, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos said the Nigerian government urgently needed more outside help to defeat Boko Haram.
The Islamist movement is strongly suspected of carrying out the twin blasts at a bus terminal and a nearby market in Jos, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where at least 118 people were killed and 56 were injured.
He said foreign governments and others had a vital role to play in helping with intelligence gathering, stopping the illegal sale of arms, stepping up border controls and other initiatives crucial to cutting off Boko Haram’s supply lines.
“The international community can help in a number of important ways. The sale of arms is of grave concern. In short, the (government) needs help in cutting the supply lines of Boko Haram and others,” he said.
Referring to the many international pledges of solidarity, especially in the wake of Boko Haram’s abduction of more than 300 school girls in northern Nigeria, Archbishop Kaigama said: “All this hyperactivity from the UN and different nations amounts to pouring water into a basket.
“While we appreciate what has been done recently with so many coming together in solidarity with us – and it really is great that the whole world is talking about it – what we need to do is work together to find solutions and put economics and other interests to one side,” he said.
While critical of the government’s efforts to tackle Boko Haram, he said President Goodluck Jonathan’s key problem was that the government had done “too little, too late” and now “lacked the capacity” to deal with the crisis.
Zenit
