BREAKING! Northern Elders give Jonathan October deadline to end Boko Haram insurgency, produce Chibok girls The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, on Monday identified “lack of a strong will at the level of the presidency, deep-seated corruption, incompetence in governments and in the management of security challenges” as major factors fuelling the Boko Haram insurgency. The body also advised President Goodluck Jonathan to bring an end the insurgency in all its manifestations and produce the Chibok girls before the end of October, 2014, saying In the event that he failed to do so, Nigerians would be left with the only conclusion that he had forfieted his right to ask for their mandate beyond 2015. In a communique issued at a press conference in Kaduna, NEF said after a major review of the state of the nation, it resolved to continue to offer ways to resolve the country’s current political, economic, security challenges, and also facilitate the emergence of a more united, secure and prosperous nation out of its present limitations. The statement obtained by DailyPost was signed by Barrister Solomon Dalung and Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, OON, both NEF prominent members. It reads: “The security situation in our nation today represents the most serious threat to our individual and collective lives in our entire history. The reality is that the threats posed by what appears to be an insurgency that has many manifestations and defies a clear and consistent identity is growing due to the absence of a clear national consensus over its nature, and it solutions. “The lack of a strong will at the level of the presidency to fight it, as well as deep-seated corruption and incompetence in governments and in the management of our security challenges has allowed a band of terrorists to take and hold vast parts of our land and populations hostage, while every citizen lives in fear that they will be its next victim. “The Northern Elders Forum does not believe that the Nigerian military cannot defeat these terrorists. We also reject the notion that multiple internal security challenges such as attacks on villages, ethno- religions conflicts and banditry springing up by the dayin many parts of the north are all a coincidence. Indeed, 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 Ebele Jonathan to bring an end to the insurgency in all its manifestations and produce the Chibok girls before the end of October, 2014.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. In the event that President Jonathan fails to do this, Nigerians will be left with the only conclusion that he has forfieted his right to ask for our mandate beyond 2015″. They added that, “The Northern Elders Forum calls on the President to immediately set up a Judicial Panel to investigate the recent killing of over 30 members of the Islamic Movement in Zaria. The internal investigations by the military in an event in which soldiers are involved will not meet the minimum standards of fairness and acceptability. The Forum reminds the nation that it was the murder of Muhammad Yusuf by the Nigeria Police in 2009 that formed the major point of escalation in the activities of the group(s) known today under the generic term of Boko Haram. We also call for a thorough investigation into the attempted assassination of General Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, and the publication of the outcome of these investigations. “The Forum notes that the state of security and economic challenges of the North are deteriorating, in spite of its wealth of leaders and elders who should use their God-given privileges, power and influence to affect a reversal of these dangerous trends. It is no secret that the vast majority of Northerners lament their marginalization, insecurity and poverty, and blame it in large part on the inability of unwillingness of its past and present leaders to utilize all access to power which they enjoy, to bring us redress and relief. General Yakubu Gowon, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, General Muhammadu Buhari, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, General Abdussalami Abubakar, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Architect Namadi Sambo, General T.Y Danjuma and all retired Chief Justices of Nigeria from the North represent grossly under- utilized assets of the North. ..................
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 22:04:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015