Mark: Why Nigeria Needs Global Support against Boko Haram

Mark: Why Nigeria Needs Global Support against Boko Haram

15 Oct 2014

Senate President, Senator David  Mark

Says we have contained Ebola
Muhammad Bello

The Senate President, Senator David  Mark, yesterday brought to the fore the  atrocities of Boko Haram insurgents ravaging Nigeria, and solicited the support of the global community to end the menace as quickly as possible.

The terrorist groups including Boko Haram, he opined, had the capacity to wipe out nations if urgent and collective efforts are not taken to contain them.

Mark told a gathering of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference holding in Geneva, Switzerland, yesterday that Nigeria was taken necessary measures to ensure that the activities of the terrorist group was brought to an end but desires support from the international community.

Addressing the 131st session of IPU titled: ‘Achieving Gender Equality, Ending Violence Against Women,’ the senate president said all hands must be on deck to end violence of  all kinds especially against women and children “because they are the greatest casualties of meaningless mayhem on the Nigerian state.”

Mark, who spoke through the Chairman, Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, Senator Abdulazeez
Usman, stressed: “Nigeria welcomes the efforts of international partners and friends who have stood by us in this trying time.”

As a country, he said Nigeria commends the efforts of international community especially on the London conference held last June on ending sexual violence against women .

According to Mark: “Whereas institutional and policy efforts to combat gender imbalance continue to yield result, the Nigerian state is convinced that the result must not only be sustained but must also be multi-sectoral and integrated.”

To this end, he said Nigerian government has embarked on massive re- orientation and education to end violence against women.

The senate President listed efforts by the Nigerian legislature against violence to include; elimination of violence from society, violence against persons bill, gender equality bill and women empowerment bill as well as girl-child marriage and female circumcision (Prohibition) law among others.

Mark told the audience that Nigeria had been able to contain the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease ( EVD) but was still on red alert against any eventuality.

He submitted that EVD demands global attention to tackle it because of the danger it poses to human existence.

Over 141 countries are attending the 131st IPU which ends tomorrow in Geneva, Switzerland.