From Segun Amure, (The New Diplomat’s Abuja Bureau)
Retired Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai on Thursday said Nigeria may have to deal with the decade-old Boko Haram insurgency for another 20 years.
Buratai who spoke at the ongoing screening for the non-career Ambassadors-Designate by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs led by Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa affirmed that Nigeria needs intelligence capacity to defeat insurgency in the country or risk confronting the menace for twenty years or more.
Buratai said: “Our troops are also collaborating with Chadian and Cameroonian troops. We recorded successes. But the terrorists have permeated into the society.
“My state (Borno) is an epicentre where this indoctrination has penetrated so deep. It is not something you can get right over night.
“Only the military cannot solve this problem. There were socio-economic factors that need to be addressed. There should be basic amenities, but they are missing.
“I can count five local government areas in Borno without good road. The same thing is in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto. In other northern states there are so many ungovernable spaces, because of lack of access road and other basic amenities.
“This crisis might not end in 20 years time. We have achieved a lot of successes but we cannot continue to use the same tactics and achieve different results,” he said
“The intelligence capacity of the army was so low, but now it is first class, cyber command is top notch
“The warfare has permeated the society, said that they have won the communities to their side, adding that It requires a multi pronged approach and that military warfare is just one aspect.” He said
It would be recalled that Burutai was among the former Service Chiefs who were recently nominated as Ambassadors-Designate by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Others include: Former Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonisakin, former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, former Navy Chief, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas and former Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar.
