By Marcus Ikechukwu
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, bowed out as Chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), ceding the position to Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, the President of the Transition Military Council of Chad.
Buhari’s tenure ended at the 16th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), held at the Conference Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Before handing over the baton to Deby Itno, Buhari tasked the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad Basin to exploit all necessary measures to see that terrorism ends in the region.
Buhari also charged his colleagues from the other five member countries to provide the required political and material support for the LCBC/MNJTF to motivate the formations to deliver on their mandates.
According to the Nigerian President, the battle to stamp out the Boko Haram terror group and other threats in the region must remain sacrosanct, just as he assured the MNJTF of the support of the region’s leaders to the welfare and equipment of the troops.
“I must remind our gallant troops in the field that ensuring the safety and stability of the region, we must recommit ourselves to sustaining the ongoing counter-terrorism war by providing you with the requisite needs to function optimally,” President Buhari said.
“That your welfare would continue to remain our priority can never be underscored. I urge you all to rededicate yourselves as we take the final push towards eradicating terrorism from our Region. Together, we shall restore and transform the Lake Chad Region to its former glory,”.