By Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

President – elect Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to make ending the insurgency ravaging the North east a top priority when he assumes office on May 29, 2015.

The Borno Elders Forum gave the advice in a statement signed on Thursday by its chairman, Usman Galtimari.

The Borno leader lamented that the state had been afflicted and had suffered from insurgency in the past few years, adding that for the people of the state and, indeed, the North east, “it is not an exaggeration to say that we have been taken back several years in terms of all indices of human development.”

“We therefore urge Mr. President-elect to promptly eradicate all forms of insurgency and violence across the country. This should be the starting point. Nothing works without peace,” the statement read.
Galtimari restated an earlier plea for the federal government to come up with a Marshall Plan for the North east, starting with the setting up of a high level committee to undertake an assessment of the extent of destruction, followed by a rescue, rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement plan.

The Forum congratulated Buhari on his success at the presidential polls and said the wild celebrations that broke out were a testament that the people wanted him.

“The wild jubilation that erupted throughout the country- from Lagos to Baga, Sokoto to Calabar- and indeed worldwide shows that Nigerians do not resort to violence whenever they get what they deserve; they easily express joy and celebrate and embrace one another irrespective of their differences,” the Forum observed.