AS incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) intensify their political campaigns across the country, international attention on the fate of the nation is rising even as the United Nations Security Council received a briefing on next month's polls.
While the Security Council of the UN was being briefed about the Nigerian election, the Secretary General of the world body, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon also expressed profound concern, calling the presidential polls between Jonathan and Buhari a "grave test."
Speaking with reporters on Thursday afternoon at the UN Headquarters in New York, Ki-Moon, without elaborating further, said: "We face another grave test as Nigeria readies for its election next month," just as his Special Representative in West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas also explained to the Security Council on the same day that the Nigerian general election is taking place in "an increasingly tense pre-electoral environment."
Both Ki-Moon and Chambas link their worries mainly on the unrelenting Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.
"Boko Haram has continued its violence, killing Christians and Muslims, kidnapping even more women and children, and destroying churches and mosques. Mayhem has spread across the region, and is now having a direct impact on Cameroun and other countries," Ki-Moon lamented.
He then urged the terrorists to cease their assault against the nation and the region, calling for the unconditional and immediate release of the Chibok girls abducted in April last year, insisting that the international community will not tolerate impunity, although he did not layout any new means of enforcing that.
"I urge Boko Haram's leaders to end the destruction of so many lives and communities, and immediately and unconditionally release the kidnapped school girls and boys and all others. The international community cannot let human rights abuses continue with impunity. This is my personal appeal, as a father and grandfather. And as Secretary-General of the United Nations, I will continue to actively explore with member states what more can be done," he added.
On the same day at another function at the UN the Security Council, which is the body's highest organ, was also being briefed ahead of next month's polls by a top official representing the Secretary-General at the Council meeting.
According to the official Ibn Chambas: "About a month from now, Nigerians will go to the polls for the presidential and legislative elections. The general election is taking place against a backdrop of violent insurgency by Boko Haram in the North-east and sectarian conflicts in the North Central and the North West as well as an increasingly tense pre-electoral environment."
He specifically told the Council, which has Nigeria as a current non-permanent member, that the conduct of polls throughout the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where the insurgency is very active "will present a formidable challenge."
"The risk of pre-and post-electoral violence requires the international community to engage further with Nigeria, to address its ongoing challenges and to support the holding of credible and peaceful elections throughout the country", Chambas said.
It is considered rather unusual in the UN diplomatic community here in New York, that a country which is a member of the Council is also now a security concern and subject to the Council.
Chambas continued that the West African region remains vulnerable to insecurity and terrorist threats. He restated the now well-known fact that civilian populations in the three northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe have over the past six months "been subjected to intense attacks and systematic human rights violations, including razing civilian settlements, kidnappings, suicide bombings, assassinations," among others.
He disclosed that the death toll of this vicious violence, most of which has been attributed to Boko Haram, "is staggering, and counter-insurgency measures have failed to provide adequate protection of civilians."
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