Foreign
policy expert Richard Grenell has warned the Obama administration to
“wake up” to the growing threat of Nigeria turning into an Islamic
state, leading to other African nations also capitulating to Muslim
extremists.
In
an opinion column for The Washington Times, Grenell revealed that a
leading candidate in the Nigerian general election later this month is a
sympathiser of the Boko Haram terror group and plans to install strict
Sharia Law if he’s elected.
General
Mohammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress is facing off against
incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan on March 28 in the African
continent’s most populous country.
Buhari
has spoken defensively about Boko Haram, even though the evil group has
kidnapped and enslaved hundreds of young girls. And he has been
personally been selected by the terrorists to lead its negotiations with
the government.
“Western
foreign policy observers pre-occupied with the rise of ISIS in the
Middle East should wake up to the reality unfolding in Nigeria,” wrote
Grenell, a former spokesman for four United States Ambassadors to the
United Nations, most recently Ambassador Zal Khalilzad.
“Buhari’s
election as head of state would be a disaster for Africa. It would also
signal trouble for the West’s fight against the Islamic State (ISIS)
and terrorism throughout the Middle East. The decision by the 73 million
registered Nigerian voters could have a profound impact on the future
of Africa.”
Buhari
even appears to be advocating violence while pushing for the moral and
religious code of Sharia Law, according to Grenell.
“I
will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the
Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria,” Buhari said. “God
willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of
the Sharia in the country.”
But
Grenell wrote, “Agitation? Is this an indication that Mr. Buhari
supports violence because the end goal of the terrorist attacks
throughout Nigeria and Africa is an Islamic state? It is a legitimate
question that should be asked by leaders of the Obama administration.”
Boko Haram, which has pledged its support to ISIS, is based in northern Nigerian and hopes to rule the country with Sharia Law.
The
group, which recently killed 54 people in Nigeria by using four suicide
bombers, is also taking terrorist actions in neighboring Chad, Niger
and Cameroon to force them to adopt an Islamic state as well.
Grenell
warned that Nigeria could become “a tipping point” in Africa in the
same way that Tunisia kicked off the Arab Spring in the Middle East.
“The
West, and specifically the Obama Administration, needs to wake up to
the growing problem,” wrote Grenell. “The Nigerian economy has been
growing faster than South Africa’s. Imagine what Nigeria could do for
Africa if it was also free of Boko Haram’s violence.
“The Obama administration should be doing more to ensure Africa’s most populous country doesn’t slip away.”
•Text courtesy of Newsmax.com. Photo shows Buhari.
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