From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Presidency has said 17 months was enough time for the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to bring to an end the various security challenges plaguing the country.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, stated this when he appeared on Sunday Politics on Channels Television.

In August, President Buhari had warned the security chiefs that  he was not prepared to leave office as a failure and hence he is determined to turn things around in the war against insecurity.

Related News

Asked if President can end insecurity in the country before he leaves office in 2023, Adesina said: “Nothing is impossible. I always refer to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. That rebellion lasted for 28 years. But one day, the mastermind of that rebellion was taken out. And that was the automatic ending of it. Those who are behind this, insurgency  will be taken out, they are being taken out one after the other and it will get to a point that the last of them will be taken out, and then we’ll get to the end of it, it can be done within 17 months, that remains for this administration.”

On  the ability of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) operating in Borno state to fire rockets targeting areas in Maiduguri, the state capital, Adesina said the act was scaremongering to force President Buhari to cancel his official visit to the state.

Multiple explosions rocked Maiduguri last Thursday with rockets landing on many houses around Ngomari, Bulumkutu and Ayafe near the airport, hours before the visit of President Buhari to the state.

Adesina said: “It was some sort  of scaremongering. They wanted to frighten the president away, but they had forgotten that this president is a retired general, they had forgotten he is a man who can stand his own. They thought they will succeed in getting the president to cancel that visit, that was why they, possibly did what they did. But we see  that the President still went ahead with the visit and from all indications, it was very successful visit. It is sad that some people lost their lives in that attack but it  shows you the cowardly nature of those behind these attacks.”