By Julia Payne

ABUJA (Reuters) - It is a "disgrace" for Nigeria that its neighbors have been more successful in battle against its Boko Haram insurgency than its own army, opposition presidential candidate Muhammdu Buhari said in an interview a week before the election.

Troops from neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, all much smaller and poorer than Nigeria, have been battling the Islamist militants who have seized territory in northeastern Nigeria in a five-year insurgency.

Thousands of Nigerians have been killed and 1.5 million displaced in the uprising by militants known for executing and kidnapping civilians.

"It’s a big disgrace for Nigeria. It is now Cameroon and Chad fighting the insurgency more than Nigeria. We will build the capacity and Nigeria should be able to secure its territorial integrity," Buhari told Reuters.

A former military ruler, Buhari is hoping his strongman reputation will resonate with voters disheartened by incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan's failure to tackle the insurgency.

The election itself, set for Feb 14 although there has been talk of possible delays, will be another big test of security in Africa's most populous country. Eight hundred people died in violence after the last election in 2011.

In a country where the population is about 50 percent Christian and 50 percent Muslim, Buhari is a Muslim northerner and Jonathan is a Christian southerner.

Buhari said that he was committed to using the courts if there are irregularities in the voting, and would not call his followers into the streets.

"I'm optimistic that I won’t lose. But we signed an undertaking that it will be violence free," Buhari said. "We are attempting to stabilize a multi party democratic system."

The country is already on edge over reports the election may be delayed. Jonathan's ruling People's Democratic Party has put pressure on the election commission, INEC, to postpone the polls arguing it is not ready to hold them.

Buhari's opposition All Progressives' Congress insists on the date, saying the only reason the pro-Jonathan camp is pushing for a delay is that it knows he will lose if voting goes ahead now.

"There will be no delay. But if INEC is compromised then it will be too bad," said Buhari.

Buhari said his administration also intends to tackle corruption within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) and plans to reopen an investigation into missing crude revenues of around $20 billion.

He would also tackle the theft of crude tapped from pipelines in the Niger River delta.

"Our main objective is to secure the country. We will not tolerate insurgency, sabotage of the economy by the blowing up of installations, by stealing crude and so on.... All these things will be things of the past."

(Editing by Peter Graff)


Source - http://news.yahoo.com/nigerias-disgrace-neighbors-must-boko-haram-buhari-011053103.html

We had no other option since he could not call his boys to other.

It pains u that we are putting an end to ur boys ... Just wait ur end is coming!! GEJ till 2019!!!

see how he dey talk as if he feat change nigeria

all of them dey corrupt

If it is the security issue, I believe Buhari can still do a better job than Jonathan. Our current president does not care about human lives. Everyone in the country are now so numb to the news of people getting killed, blown up or kidnapped that it is a shame.... Are we in a civil war that people have to get used to this way of life? Jonathan is a disgrace to human life.

It is very shameful that due to gross incompetence, Nigeria now depend on Chad and Niger to tackle Boko Haram. Even foreigners bombarding our country. Jonathan has brought us so much shame.

Correct this mistake. Vote for Change.

Those who have been sucking JonaSambo Feeding Bottle are here telling us nobody can Change Nigeria, allow Jonathan to keep destroying it. How pathetic.

Vote Buhari to tackle the challenges facing Nigerians.

We need any kind of change..... Jonathan has so failed in every aspect of presidency it looks like a horror movie. Every single aspect in only 5years..... Lets all come out and remove this loser

You see an urchin tormenting your neighbor and you do nothing, then the urchin feels free and calls his friend and they gradually grow in numbers, and eventually start tormenting you too! This is the case with Nigeria and neighbors.

Buhari couldn't have fared better without assistance from other nations at least in one way or the other. Nigeria didn't produce the artilleries used in bombarding sambissa. Those who cannot control themselves or their immediate families should not come and talk politics here because there is much more going on behind the curtain.

General I think you're wrong in this one. ''It's good to ask for help when necessary''