From Bello Wakili
President of Chad Republic, Marshal Idris Deby, has observed that terrorism lingers in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel region because the fight against it has not been adequate.
President Deby was in the State House, Abuja, on a one-day official visit, during which he had bilateral discussions with President Buhari.
Speaking with newsmen afterwards, President Deby said the four countries sharing the Lake Chad Basin had put together a formidable military formation, the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, to stamp out terrorism in the region, but the formation had not been carrying out enough required operations.
He said he discussed the situation at the MNJTF with President Buhari, saying that a situation where the joint military outfit embarked on one operation in a whole year had made the fight difficult and defeating the terrorists rather impossible.
Deby however expressed optimism that with the new strategies being deployed, and new officers with fresh ideas being assigned to take over commands at both national and regional levels, the defeat of the various terror groups, the menace should be addressed permanently.
President Deby said a number of important issues came up during his meeting with President Buhari, which included the challenges facing both countries and how to strengthen their bilateral relations.
Road and the possibility of rail construction from Chad, which is a landlocked country, through to Port Harcourt, to convey freight to Chad, were discussed.
They also discussed the connectivity of power between Nigeria and Chad and the closure of the borders as well, noting that the discussion made him to understand the reasons why the borders were closed.
He thanked President Buhari for hosting him, and assured the Nigerian President that he would continue to work towards strengthening their bilateral relations discussed.