The federal government of Nigeria yesterday
accused the administration of the United States President Barrack Obama for
politicizing the fight against the Boko Haram Sect. Speaking in his national capacity, during the just-concluded 2015
Business Opportunity and Investment Forum held by NIDO, Chicago Branch at the
Crowne Plaza O’Hare Hotel in Chicago, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Atlanta Georgia
and its environs, Mr. Geoffrey Teneilabe, blamed the US government for not
effectively assisting Nigeria in its fight against the insurgents.
The Nigerian
diplomat also said that the America began playing politics with the fight
against Boko Haram from the time it refused to sell arms that the Nigerian
troop would have used to totally curb the Islamic Sect. His words: “The
decision of the United States government not to sell arms to Nigeria In order
to effectively combat members of the Boko Haram Sect is uncalled for and it is
political. “Despite the challenges faced, former President Goodluck Jonathan
was able to curb the activities of Boko Haram to some extents, and if the US
had agreed to sell arms to Nigeria, maybe by now the sect would have been
defeated.”
He, however,
lauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort to curb the activities of Islamic
militants in the country, urging Nigerians not to relent in prayers with a view
to overcoming security challenges currently facing the country. In her own
address, a former Vice Chairman of the Board of the Nigerians in Diaspora
Organisation, Americas(NIDOA), Dr. Sandra Ote Dafiaghor, lamented on the
present poor economy challenges in Nigeria, saying urgent steps must be taken
by President Muhammadu Buhari to address it. Furthermore, Dr. Dafiaghor
criticized the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for banning Nigerian banks from
collecting cash deposits in dollars. She added that this policy is not
encouraging and will hurt Nigeria’ s economic growth.
Earlier, the
Minister/Head(Trade&Investment) Nigeria Embassy, Mr. Akin Rockson, who
appealed to Nigerians in the US to bear with the federal government on currency
restrictions that were recently introduced by Central Bank of Nigeria noted
that the plan was to prevent politicians from looting the nation’s
treasury. His words: “Unlike what happened in the past where politicians
used to loot Nigeria’ s treasury, the present administration is putting in
place an effective policy and tools that can put an end to looting in the
country.”