We have rescued Nigeria from Boko Haram – Buhari boasts in Abu Dhabi

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Dubai, stated that his government has succeeded in rescuing Nigeria from Boko Haram insurgents.

He spoke at a town hall meeting with members of the Nigerian Community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Buhari, who also pledged more government investments in research, technology as well educational institutions, promised that the prudent economic management, diversification of production and revenue bases of the administration in the last four years will be sustained.

‘‘The Next Level is to consolidate whatever we have done till 2023 and it makes common sense that in order to manage any outfit, whether a nation, state or organisation, you have to secure it.

‘‘We all know how many local governments Boko Haram were occupying. People from the North-east know that they are not holding any local government today.

“They were holding 17 out of the 774 local governments before we came in 2015; they are not holding any now,’’ the President said.

At the interactive session, the Nigerian leader noted that a key objective of his administration which had yielded positive results, in the last four years, was the campaign for the nation to return to agriculture.

‘‘What we did was to encourage agriculture, and fertiliser was made available at half the price.

‘‘We encouraged people to go back to land. The response was excellent. We have virtually achieved food security; we have stopped the importation of rice.

‘‘The money we have saved in foreign exchange is in hundreds of millions of dollars, not even in naira. We are putting that into infrastructure,’’ he noted.

Responding to a question about the pace of anti-corruption war, the President said: ‘‘Whoever calls me Baba-go-slow, I’m very conscious of historical antecedents. You know what happened to me the last time…people [now] have to be proven guilty before they are locked up.’’

Buhari also reflected on the 2019 APC presidential campaign and the outcome of the polls, saying: ‘‘I was very impressed by the turn out of every state to see and hear me. The crowd is more than what you can buy or force to come. Nigerians voluntarily came out.’’