Television Nigerian

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said his administration has done well in the North-east, the scene of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Tens of thousands of Nigerians have been killed and millions displaced since the Boko Haram insurgency broke out in 2014 in Borno State before spreading to other states.

Although Nigeria’s security agencies have largely limited the insurgents to Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, the terrorists are still able to attack civilians and security officials in those states.

On two occasions this year, the terrorists attacked the convoy of Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum.

In one of the most gruesome of its recent attacks, the group last week killed over 43 farmers harvesting rice in Zabarmari in Borno.

The killing of the farmers has been condemned by rights activists and international bodies, including the United Nations, who have all implored the government to intensify efforts to check terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.

However, at a meeting with state governors on Tuesday, the president said his administration has done well in the North-east and South-south.

This was disclosed in a statement by presidential spokesman Garba Shehu.

“Giving an overview of the security situation in each of the zones, the president said his administration had done well in the North East and South South, adding that the South South situation was still worrisome,” Mr Shehu wrote.

“The President, who listened to presentations by a governor from each of the six geo-political zones on their specific security challenges, recalled that in the old order communities identified new comers and passed information to constituted authority.

“The sub-region is no longer safe, more so with the collapse of the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and the cross border movement of weapons and criminals. Governors must work with traditional rulers. Try and work with traditional rulers to boost intelligence gathering,” Mr Buhari was quoted as saying.

“Every day I get situation reports about illegal refineries and the blowing up of pipelines. You must stop local rogues from sabotaging oil installations,” Mr Buhari spoke on the situation in the South-south.

President Buhari also said “security is important and we must secure the whole country. We are thinking very hard on the issue of kidnapping. We will make it possible for the military to get to the bandits and kidnappers and eliminate them.’’

Read also: Security in Borno, North-East far better under Buhari – Zulum

He further explained that the nation’s land borders were closed partly to control the smuggling of weapons and drugs.

“Now that the message has sunk in with our neighbours, we are looking into reopening the borders as soon as possible.’’

President Buhari said the military will continue to get the support they need to fight criminals.

The East Carolina University on Tuesday apologised for any embarrassment that might have resulted from the controversial appointment given to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State.

A staff of the institution had sent a letter to the governor appointing him as a Senior Mentoring Scholar and Visiting Full Professor of e-governance and International Affairs on of the institution.

The school, however, denied the appointment, prompting the state government to demand an apology.

Read also: Ganduje Appoints Four Kingmakers of Rano Emirate

In response, the university expressed regret and also acknowledged the governor’s educational accomplishments, saying, “You have appropriate credentials generally held by those appointed to faculty positions.”

The letter, signed by the Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. B. Grant Hayes, said the content of the letter earlier forwarded to the governor was not the intention of the university to ignite any embarrassment.

“I regret that this situation has caused you some measure of embarrassment, as that was neither the intention of Carolina University, nor was it the reason for the letter,” it added.

Read also: Ganduje demands apology from American university over appointment blunder

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria’s land borders  shut in August 2019 to curb commodity and small arms’ smuggling will be reopened soon.

The president said neighbouring countries have now learnt their lessons with the border closure.

Speaking at a meeting with governors of the 36 states of the federation, in Abuja on Tuesday, however, Buhari did not give a definite time on when the land borders will be reopened.

“Now that the message has sunk in with our neighbours, we are looking into reopening the borders as soon as possible,” he said.

A statement by a presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said the president tasked the governors to work closely with traditional rulers and community members with a view to improving local intelligence gathering and complimenting the work of security agencies.

The statement, which also said the president listened to presentations from governors from each of the six geo-political zones of the country on the peculiar security challenges confronting their zones added that in the past, communities identified strange faces and passed information to constituted authority.

The president restated that the West African sub-region is not as safe as a result of the earlier movements of arms across the borders following the death of the former President of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi.

“The sub-region is no longer safe, more so with the collapse of the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and the cross border movement of weapons and criminals. Governors must work with traditional rulers. Try and work with traditional rulers to boost intelligence gathering,” the president said.

Buhari spoke on the October #EndSARS protests and how they were hijacked by hoodlums who destroyed private and public property, insisting that no such situation will be allowed again.

He said: “We do not stop anyone from demonstrating, but you don’t set up roadblocks and smash windscreens. Which government will allow that?’’

Buhari berated the foreign press, particularly the CNN and BBC, saying that their coverage of the violence that accompanied the protests was unbalanced.

Read also:  Buhari to governors: work with local chiefs to tackle insecurity

He cited the number of policemen killed, police stations razed and prisons forced open for inmates to escape during the protests to buttress his position.

“I was disgusted by the coverage, which did not give attention to the policemen that were killed, the stations that were burnt, and prisons that were opened. (They said we are all at fault. We don’t have the sympathy of anyone. We are on our own),” he stated.

He reiterated his decision never to condone violent demonstrations again because “democracy does not mean confusion or lack of accountability.’’

Buhari also criticised the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for embarking on an eight-month strike and refusing to shift grounds.

He described the lecturers’ action as insensitive to the numerous challenges confronting the country.

“Government conceded something. The problem is that they refused to look at the problem of the whole country. The Minister of Labour is working hard at it. It is amazing how ASUU will stay out of classrooms for so long. There’s a need for our elites to understand the challenges facing the country,” he said.