– Spurns Sultans Demand of Amnesty for Murderers
– Announces N16 Billion for Chad Basin Oil Exploration
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria launched
a blitz of tactical and strategic pushback against Islamic blood cultists, Boko Haram, this Thursday on who actually calls the shots as command-in-chief of the Armed Forces.
The president, who was until this morning on the receiving end as Boko Haram’s repeated attacks successfully reinforced the belief that he had been defined as a weakling and that some geo-political zones in his country of 160 million people has no-go area, touched down in a presidential jet at a regional airport in Maiduguri, Borno State for onward travel by a military helicopter to Damaturu, Yobe State.
The two states of Yobe and Borno are the most treacherous of the savannah plains for the deadliest attacks from Boko Haram killer squads.
The organization rides on the sentiments of certain politicians and so-called Moslem scholars to demand a blanket mediaeval age theocratic sharia extreme rule. It also claimed in a recent video recording that it is on a mission from Allah, the center of worship in Islam, to demand total Islamization of Nigeria, a country with diverse religious practices and beliefs.
Jonathan who has been criticized for appearing “clueless” and seeming abdication made a courageous appearance at a town-hall meeting in Damaturu, where he said his government would not accede to the simplistic advice of influential Nigerians such as the powerful Sultan Abubakar Saad of Sokoto, who plead amnesty for Boko Haram terrorists. According to the president, his administration cannot grant amnesty to the Islamic militants if they don’t first surrender to the government.
Mr. Jonathan emphasized the need for the group to surrender without conditions and then lay down its arms, in addition to embracing dialogue.
Although the president totally defied a possible attack by visiting the Boko Haram country, so far there has not been any major incident that could lend credence to the scare mongering occasioned by intelligence estimates that made Yobe and Borno states no-go areas for him since the intensification of the bloody attacks of the last two years.
Security was reported to be tight for the visit. But the secret service and the back-up troops are not taking any chances,” a source told sharpedgenews.com on Thursday.
The president is expected back in Maiduguri later in the day for the final lap of the two-day working visit.
“You cannot declare amnesty for ghost. Boko Haram is operating like a ghost, they have remained invisible.
“They have to show their faces and state their problems for government to think of amnesty.
“The amnesty issue of Niger Delta was that if you call them they will come and tell you their grievances rightly or wrongly so, let the Boko Haram come and tell us their problems,’’ he said. .
The president refuted claims that his visit to the state was belated, saying: “it is not true that the president did not show concern for Borno and Yobe following the security challenges.
“I would have been in Yobe much earlier because what affects Yobe or any part of Nigeria, affects the entire country.
“I have come to reassure the people of Yobe that there is no difference between Yobe and other parts of the country nor do I discriminate between sections of the country.’’
Elders in Yobe on Thursday appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan, to commence exploration of crude oil in the Chad basin.
The elders made the appeal in Damaturu at a town hall meeting with Jonathan when he paid a one day working visit to the state.
They said that the exploration would develop agriculture, create employment and improve the economy of the country.
Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, a former Minister of Agriculture, said there were indications of rich oil deposits in the Chad basin area that needed to be explored to enhance revenue base of the country and the people.
“When you find oil in Yobe and Borno, it belongs to the Nigerian nation and it will also promote national unity,’’ Ciroma said.
Rep. Hassan El-Badawy, representing Bade/Jakusko Constituency, said “the Chad basin oil exploration in Nigeria has taken over 20 years while Niger, Cameroon and Chad explored oil in just six years”.
He expressed optimism that “the Nigeria Government can explore the Chad basin in less than two years and develop the Mambilla hydro electric power project for improved energy”.
Sen. Ahmad Lawan, Yobe North, appealed to the president to establish a ‘Presidential Recovery Programme’ to assist the State Government and individuals recover from the economic, social and infrastructural loss suffered from the insurgency attacks.
The elders called on government to provide employment opportunities to reduce poverty and manipulation of youths by criminal elements.
Jonathan said N16 billion had been earmarked for the inland sedimentary basin exploration.
He assured that the Minister of Petroleum Resources would update the people on the progress made when she visit the state in June.
The president said more jobs would be provided in the next five years while Federal Government would partner with the State Government to rehabilitate victims of the conflicts.
Meanwhile, the president has inaugurated the ‘Goodluck Jonathan’ library complex of Yobe State University and donated N200 million to the university.
Similarly, the president inaugurated the 18km dual carriageway ring road in Damaturu while on the one day working visit to the state.