"Hopefully by the 29 of this month, May, the new president is going to be set in … With his background as a former military general, we strongly hope and believe that we are going to see a lot of changes, especially in government approach towards tackling this issue of Boko Haram," Gafai said.
The Nigerian diplomat noted that ensuring security, countering corruption and relieving unemployment were key promises of Buhari's election campaign.
He added that the outgoing government achieved positive results in the struggle against the militants.
"In the past couple of months the military has really pushed Boko Haram out of most of their strongholds," Gafai said adding that recently some 200 women and children were rescued from the militants.
The diplomat added that he is sure that the new government will continue cooperating with other countries in the region, including within the framework of the Economy Community of West African States (ECOWAS,) to defeat Boko Haram.
"We want to believe, that in a very short period of time Boko Haram will be a theme of history in Nigeria, in western African south region," Gafai said.
Boko Haram extremists began large-scale attacks in Nigeria in 2009, intending to impose Islamic rule in the country. The group currently operates on the border of four Western African countries — Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
