Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has backed the call by Governor Babagana Zulum that President Muhammadu Buhari should engage mercenaries to fight Boko Haram, saying that they should be involved to assist the Nigerian military in its ongoing fight against terrorists.
Darius who spoke on Tuesday in Maiduguri when he alongside Governors of Adamawa – Ahmadu Fintiri; Bauchi – Bala Mohammed, and Gombe – Inuwa Yahaya paid a sympathy visit to Borno state. The visit is linked to last Saturday’s Boko Haram slaughtering of more than 46 farmers from the Zabarmari community. The massacre has been regarded as one of the most gruesome killings by the Boko Haram sect.
Ishaku while speaking said they were saddened and traumatized by the heinous crime.
‘I will key into your (Zulum) request, which you said that the federal government should invite some mercenaries to come and help us out of this problem, because what you can’t do, what you can’t solve. I think we should invite who can solve it for us.’
‘We cannot continuously be mourning, there has to be a time to stop the mourning. All of us in the North East Governors Forum, we are pleading with the federal government to find a solution to the issue of Boko Haram because if we neglect it, it will become even worse,’ he said.
The Taraba helmsman also appealed to the federal government to fix the infrastructural deficit in the Northeast.
‘We call on the federal government to look at the Northeast with sympathy. It is embarrassing that in the 2021 budget, what is given to the Northeast is 0.35%. With all these problems, the insurgency, the insecurity, only 0.35% was allocated for the region. This is very very unfair.
‘The federal government should look at the issue of infrastructure in the Northeast. I once again call on the federal government to remember the Mambilla hydropower project. Without power, we will not indeed have any meaningful development’ Ishaku added.
In his remarks, Governor Babangida Zulum expressed appreciation to the delegation for the visit.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK