When President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the twenty ninth of May, this year, he promised that the Boko Haram insurgency will not go beyond December, this year. 

The President hinged his optimism on the support of his government in terms of improved training, equipment, logistics and welfare for the Nigerian Armed forces who are now well positioned to win the war against insurgency.

Based on his military background and antecedent as the Former Military Head of State, Nigerians believed in Muhammadu Buhari to get rid off insurgency in the country. The Boko Haram has been troubling the country, particularly the North Eastern part of the country since two thousand and nine where scores of people had been killed, maimed, looted and destroyed homes, disengaged millions of people from their houses, and many kidnapped, particularly the abduction of chibok schoolgirls.  

The president, while addressing the nation, expressed confidence in the capacity of the Nigerian Armed Forces to checkmate the sect's ability to attack, seize, ravage and hold any Nigerian territory by the end of this year.

The Nigerian Armed forces under Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government partnered with the Armed Forces of neighbouring countries like Cameroon, Chad, Benin Republic and Niger to build a strong Military joint operation in the fight against Boko Haram that is ravaging the country and some parts of the neighbouring nations. It also enjoyed the support of the United States and other foreign countries that had been assisting with logistics, intelligence and other means to end insurgency.

However, the Military has been making sounding achievements as areas and territories under the Boko Haram control had been liberated and cleared which shows that the December deadline given by the President to end the terror act could be achieved. But with the spate of bombings and suicide killings in the country, Nigerians are skeptical if the Buhari led administration could end insurgency as promised in December, this year.

 The Former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon recently said nobody can predict when the current insurgency ravaging the North-East geo-political zone of the country will end. According to him, the insurgents had succeeded in using underage children as suicide bombers and appreciated the successes recorded by the past administration in the fight against Boko Haram.

Among the successes recorded by the Nigerian Army apart from recovery of Nigeria territories from the deadly sect,  is the level at which the terrorists are surrendering in their great numbers, while large cache of arms, fuel depots and provision stores belonging to Boko Haram are being discovered and destroyed. In some of the camps, innocent victims have been rescued and put at the IDPs camps.

However, the successes of the military will not be completed without the support of the people and the international community. This support could be by refusing to harbor terrorists, providing information to the military as well as material supplies like vehicles, medicines, among others.

It is a great challenge for the country's Armed forces to meet up with the December deadline, hence the need for them to uphold their primary and cardinal responsibility of securing Nigeria's territories against foreign attacks or any form of insurgency or terrorists attack. They should protect the country's territories and ensure that the country and the citizens are safe from any attack. 

The Military needs the prayers and support of Nigerians to completely wipe out insurgents from the country and bring normalcy to the country. There is need for all clerics both Muslims and Christians to use their holy places to pray fervently for the military and Nigerians should also assist the law enforcement agencies by providing them information about any suspicious movements or criminal activities in their areas.

Government should be prepared to reconstruct and rebuild areas affected by insurgency by providing basic amenities for the people in the areas. Going by the word of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that the Federal Government needs two hundred and thirty three billion naira to reconstruct and rehabilitate the states of the North East ravaged by the activities of the Boko Haram sect, there is need for the Terror Victims Support Fund in Nigeria to lend its support to the victims to settle in their ancestral homes. 

Also stakeholders and international bodies should brace up and assist Nigeria by providing funds and other means of assisting the country.

Olayinka Alaya is a journalist based in Ilorin