President Jonathan reacts to Northern Elders ultimatum over missing Chibok girls
Category: Nigerian National News
President Jonathan has reacted to the
October ultimatum handed to
him by the Northern Elders Forum to return the missing Chibok girls to
their families and end insurgency activities in the north. They made
this demand at a press conference yesterday August 11th, alleging that
the sect
activities are politically motivated with a grand agenda to weaken the
political and economical interest of the North, with a view of
exploiting this weakness in the 2015 elections.
The
circumstances under which our fellow citizens in and around Gwoza in
Borno State in particular live and die will not be tolerated by any
people who have a government and a leader sworn to defend them, and they
must be reversed immediately,” the Northern Elders said.
Reacting to the deadline, President Jonathan through his SSA on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, released a statement today describing the threat by the Northern leaders as "preposterous" and "contrary to common sense".
He stated, "We read with deep concern the statement published in the Media today by the Northern Elders Forum giving President Goodluck Jonathan a two ultimatum on the Boko Haram Insurgency and the Chibok Girls abduction Saga.
President Goodluck Jonathan was voted for by an overwhelming majority of Nigerians across the board, and he will never promote any policy that is either divisive or inimical to the well-being of any section of the polity.
What the country needs today is total co-operation, of all its citizens and stakeholders, with the Government and our military and the security agencies.
We wish to assure Nigerians that in spite of this and many more distractions, the President is focused on continued successful executions of his transformation Agenda; and the guarantee of the security of lives and properties of the Nigerian people.
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| Northern Elders Forum |
"We are convinced that most of these conflicts are being engineered to weaken the North politically and economically by interests, which intend to exploit such weaknesses for electoral benefits. In the light of our firm conviction that the insurgency and related security challenges pose threats to the 2015 elections and the survival of our nation, we strongly advise President Goodluck Jonathan to bring an end to the insurgency in all its manifestations and produce the Chibok girls before the end of October 2014.
Reacting to the deadline, President Jonathan through his SSA on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, released a statement today describing the threat by the Northern leaders as "preposterous" and "contrary to common sense".
He stated, "We read with deep concern the statement published in the Media today by the Northern Elders Forum giving President Goodluck Jonathan a two ultimatum on the Boko Haram Insurgency and the Chibok Girls abduction Saga.
"We wish to state categorically that President Jonathan does
not require any threat or ultimatum from any group of persons to be
alive to his responsibilities to the Nigerian People.
"The issue of Insurgency especially those ideologically based
on Islamic extremism is a global phenomenon and requires tact, military
capability, serious de-radicalisation techniques and community based
counter insurgency programmes to ensure success.
In these areas, the Federal Government is making progress:
a) We are improving on our operational capabilities and
efficiencies by acquiring more advanced weapons and technologies for our
military and security agencies.
b) We have drafted more military personnel to the region to strengthen the fighting power of our armed forces.
c) We are taking advantage of the offers from our
international military and intelligence allies to assist in identifying
key locations.
d) We are working with our neighbours to secure the borders
and limit the movements of the Boko Haram fighters, building on the
agreements reached at the recent summits in Paris and London.
e) We are deploying more resources to maximize operational
efficiency, acquire more advanced and relevant weaponry and boost the
general morale of our combatants. This is why the Government recently
requested for an additional funding of $1bn.
f) And the last piece in the puzzle is targeting the
domestic and international funding, and stopping the money flows into
the coffers of the terrorists.
g) With all these efforts and the support of our allies,
these steps will help fight the threat of the Boko haram and move us
closer to bringing the girls back safely.
Lastly, the suggestion that the Government is carrying out
any scheme to annihilate any section of the country for political gain
is preposterous, contrary to common sense, divisive and essentially a
deliberate attempt to disseminate “hate mentality” and cause mischief.
President Goodluck Jonathan was voted for by an overwhelming majority of Nigerians across the board, and he will never promote any policy that is either divisive or inimical to the well-being of any section of the polity.
What the country needs today is total co-operation, of all its citizens and stakeholders, with the Government and our military and the security agencies.
We wish to assure Nigerians that in spite of this and many more distractions, the President is focused on continued successful executions of his transformation Agenda; and the guarantee of the security of lives and properties of the Nigerian people.
Every bad deeds will eventually get exposed!
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