To end the scourge of terrorism in Nigeria, the federal government needs to come up with a lake Chad Basin Development Plan that will create some economic activity in an area riven with poverty

Ayo Akinfe

[1] First of all, the federal government needs to licence local vigilante groups in all 774 local government areas of the country to ensure uniformity. This way, they will all be signed up to uniform standards of operation. Those operating in the northeast will obvioulsly be the busiest and will have the largest budget

[2] Then, the federal government needs to establish 20 battalions of the Nigerian Army in strategic towns across the north east. Maiduguri, Dikwa, Bama, Mafa, Biu, Gwoza, Chibok, Dambo, Kukawa, Monguno, Magumeri, Damaturu, Geidam, Potiskum, Nguru, Fika, Gombe, Nafada, Kaltungo, Dukku, Kumo, Jalingo, Bauchi, Yola, Gashaka, Wukari, Ganye, Mubi, etc, all need military bases

[3] President Tinubu then needs to get the Nigerian Army to plant rows of trees along the country’s borders with Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republic to actually tell us where Nigeria starts. They should be painted green-white-green

[4] In Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, the governors need to offer free uniforms and school meals to all youths to encourage education. An emphasis should be placed on training wildlife rangers, veterinary doctors, meat processors, leather goods manufacturers and animal specialists

[5] Under a United Nations programme, we then need to get the Lake Chad Basin Authority to create 30,000 jobs in the northeast. This will be achieved by turning the lake into a major tourist attraction similar to say Niagra Falls, building a mega solar farm in Borno State and also opening the world’s largest cattle ranch in Sambisa Forest

[6] Our federal government then needs to build six special high security prisons for Boko Haram fighters where they can be trained and equipped with vocational skills

[7] Nigeria then needs to ask its military partners like the US, UK, Germany, France, Russia, etc to help her establish a special paramilitary force which will be trained in rescue missions to deal with matters like the Chibok girls. We need a battalion similar to the US Navy Seals or the British SAS

[8] Our federal government then needs to establish a special anti-terrorist brigade in say Damaturu. No armed group should be able to hold the country to ransom as herdsmen, kidnappers and bandits are currently doing

[9] President Tinubu should then double soldiers allowances and offer a special bonus to anyone asked to serve in the northeast

[10] Then President Tinubu should designate Taraba State as an ecological national park. We should aim to make it the world’s largest wildlife zone bigger than the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara

ayoakinfe@gmail.com