Jonathan meets Chadian president again over Boko Haram

President Goodluck Jonathan, Monday in N’Djamena, Chad, reiterated the need for Nigeria and her neighbours to intensify joint actions and cooperation to win the war against terrorism and insurgency. 

Speaking to journalists at the presidential palace in N’Djamena after a closed-door meeting with his Chadian counterpart,   Idris Deby, Mr. Jonathan said that their talks focused mainly on security and economic cooperation.

He said Boko Haram had a lot of external influence from outside Africa and it had become even more imperative for all countries in the region to work together to overcome terrorism and other criminal activities across their borders.

“If you look at the economies of Nigeria and Chad, both are linked,” he said. “The Boko Haram people don’t ask permission to move from Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Nigeria.

“If the countries do not cooperate, we will not find it easy to win the war, because when the heat is strong in one country, the criminals and terrorists will go to  another one and hide. So we must work together and we are discussing along that line.”

Mr. Jonathan recalled that his visit to Chad was the second in the last one month, noting that it underscored the importance of building a “robust relationship” between both countries to improve trade, economic and security ties. 

He said discussions between both countries on cooperation in the ICT sector were ongoing and expressed optimism that more proficient use of modern technology will help greatly to address economic and security challenges in the region. 

President Jonathan, who was accompanied on the one-day official visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali and the Director-General the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ayodele Oke, has since returned to Abuja.