The President of the Senate, David Mark On Tuesday urged the Federal Government to crush the Boko Haram sect before resorting to dialogue.
He said there was no longer room for anyone to pretend because Nigeria was at war with a group whose ideology was alien to our customs and traditions.
Mark said this in an address of welcome he read to his colleagues at the resumption of plenary, in Abuja.
According to him, the escalation of violence and the heinous crimes daily perpetrated by the insurgents including the declaration of a Caliphate has reached alarming proportions.
Mark expressed regret that the sect, whom he described as harbingers of death have become more emboldened and daring, killing innocent Nigerians and destroying property at will.
He said from abductions, kidnappings and bombings, the situation has now degenerated to capturing and occupying parts of Nigeria with a clear intention to humiliate us as a sovereign nation.
Mark described the brazen manner in which the terrorists hoist their flags as an assault and affront on our collective will as a nation.
The President of the Senate said “I have consistently advocated dialogue as the needed panacea to this malaise.
“Sure, dialogue must not be ruled out but this time around, with this scale of warfare, we must first demonstrate our strength, confront and defeat these terrorists and insurgents before we resort to dialogue.
“In my candid opinion, the Boko Haram sect has in no unmistakable terms declared a total war on Nigeria and Nigerians.
“Their ideology is alien to our culture. We must as a people and nation handle this situation with all the seriousness it deserves.”
He said as a person, he was to come to terms with what the Boko Haram Sect actually wants and wondered what offence the Chibok girls or any other school child, a market woman or artisan struggling to earn a living committed to warrant the sect’s barrage of attacks.
Mark appealed to his colleagues rise to the current challenge by extending to the executive all the support it requires to confront the challenge head-long.
He also said it was important to devise a better strategy to win this war at the earliest possible time.
“We must come out with clear, concise and unequivocal mission statement on how to win this war.
“As I have repeatedly said, we must as a matter of urgency, fish out the financiers of these terrorists and all collaborators wherever they are, and bring them to book.” Mark said.
Nigerians he said are frustrated and presently appear helpless over the unfolding events because they watch in total disbelief and shock at the activities of the Boko Haram.
Mark also urged his colleagues not to play politics with our collective our collective security adding that this is not the time to willfully castigate or criticize our armed forces and security operatives.
He equally cautioned against playing the blame game and bulk passing because this is the time to unit to fight a common enemy.
Commenting on the war against the Ebola Virus, Mark deplored the behavior of the late Liberian diplomat Patrick Sawyer, who imported the virus to Nigeria.
He commended Nigeria’s health personnel for putting their lives on the line to contain its spread.
The Senate President stressed the importance of the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill which he said should be passed “as quickly as possible so as to maximize the benefits derivable from this God given resource.
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