Why Jonathan Can’t Fight Insurgency – Dr Junaid: He was trained in Russia as a medical doctor, but Dr Junaid Muhammed, national Coordinator, Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, is known more as a radical politician. In this interview with newsmen, he spoke on why he has been criticising President Goodluck Jonathan and the problem the Boko Haram crisis has now become for the North. Kazeem Akintunde was there for LEADERSHIP SUNDAY. You are more or less a trouble maker to those in Government. Are you not bothered by such a label? I have occasion where people will say it to my face that I am a pain in the neck, not very rudely though, sometimes by way of joke. Sometimes, you are troublesome or too much or a critic. Once in a while I laugh it off. Well I like what I do, whether you like it or not. Unfortunately, there is little or nothing I can do about you not liking what I say. However what makes me happy and fulfilled is the fact that I have done my best as possibly as I can for the country because I believe that this country is an important enterprise and I think all of us including the civic society, must put our differences aside, including our primordial considerations so that we can make this enterprise called Nigeria a success. Of course, it is not yet a success that is why I am still actively involved, otherwise I should have retired, because every day, new issues come up which can make you hit the roof. But in hitting the roof, you also hit at personalities too? I think personalities to me, are only relevant when they affect the issue being discussed, but I don’t go out of my way to hit any personalities. As a matter of fact, I am not interested in personalities but issues but until issues are relevant personalities, then they will be a legitimate target. But if you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen. You have no business in public life if you can’t take a punch or two over the belt or under the belt. But I think to be able to survive in public service, you must be able to have a thick skin and I have thick skin and I expect all sparing partners with me in the game of public service must have very thick skin. I don’t think I have gone out of my way to be offensive to personalities. At the just ended national conference, Chief Olu Falae, a fellow member, said to me, people who only read about you would think you are an offensive person but frankly speaking, I find you interesting to be with. Talking about issues, what is your take on the present crisis at the House of Reps via-a vis the speaker defection and subsequent withdrawal of his police details? I found that very difficult to accept and I find the attitude of the inspector general of police who I see as a friend condemnable. I think what he did is a disgrace to his uniform, a disgrace to the police service. Whether Tambuwal had the right to defect to another political party, for me, is not an issue. My concern is if any public officer changes party, it is not the duty of police to interpret what the law says about that. It is not healthy for supposed independent police body to be seeing openly taking side with the government of the day and try to win favour with the government of the day. That is despicable. I think they believe he is in this job to please or to do what pleases the incumbent president and mI think he has completely misread his responsibility. Besides, when the police force tries to interpret the law like it is doing, I think it is going too far, way too far. What is his business to interpret the law? Constitution puts that responsibility on the judiciary. Jonathan has picked his nomination form for a second term. Does he deserve a second term? When a politician is campaigning, looking for votes, my attitude is usually based on what he has promised and I assess his performance in office via-a vis the promises he made over and above that, the universal values which are attached to government. In order to assess the government the fundamental responsibility of government is the maintenance of law and order. A government must protect your life and mine, your property and mine, these are fundamental responsibilities of government. And when government fails in that rule number one, that government ceases to be government that one should associate with. Has he failed in that regard? Yes, absolutely. He failed woefully. We have right now, a very nasty insurgency, carried out by few terrorists in the name of Boko Haram in the North-East which has been deserted. As we speak, the chief of defence staff, Alex Bade has his village in Adamawa being run down by these Boko Harm. That does not portend credibility. It certainly does not give credence to the kind of language you hear from him or anybody. I am worried because if the Nigerian Armed Forces today are in no position to secure your life and mine, then we are in very serious trouble. And indications are this government – this president and the presidency – has not been able to do anything to protect our lives. If you want to appreciate the state of things shortly after this president came in, at the height of constitutional crisis, he became acting president and then subsequently allegedly won the 2011 election. The situation is a lot worse than it was when he came into power. All he has been able to do is mto make us more angry, intolerable and this is a country of over 300 ethnic groups and the president who came in believes that his job is only to his ethnic groups and few opportunists who are hanging around him for what they can get. Can that argument be substantiated? Look at the appointments he has made this year. All the appointments, as we speak, 46% is shared among his ethnic group and cronies. Don’t you think a lot of them are there on merit? You don’t need to defend them. How can 42% of the appointments go to one ethnic group in a country of over 170 million? The self appointed supervising minister of the economy came from that ethnic group, the Governor of CBN, Director-General, Exchange Commission, Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Manufacturing Association of Nigeria, the DSS, the sovereign wealth fund, AMCON etc. Look at the ministers, the most controversial one who has added no value to governance or economic management is from the same ethnic group. Talking about cease-fire, the federal government said last month that it had reached cease fire agreement with the Boko Haram sect only for Shekau in a video to say they have had no agreement and that the Chibok girls have long been married out. What do you make of that? The federal government has been economical with the truth for the past over 200 days that these girls were hijacked by this sect. The world has been outraged and has expressed their maximum concern, instead of government confronting the issue, what they have attempted to do is to turn the whole matter into a political issue. They wanted to turn the life of the girls to a political football. Every day, they tell you the president is working hard, very had to making sure that these girls are released. None has been released so far. Those who escaped by some miracle came to tell their own stories on how they were raped; they mentioned that some of them were forced to convert to Islam which is a terrible thing. I don’t know where these rascals in the sect learn their own Islam. The whole thing about Boko Haram being an Islamic thing is a scandal, because these are bunch of illiterates from Yusuf – its leader to now Shekau, they are all illiterates they know they cannot defeat the federal government,. But at the same time the government has no will to take on the insurgency and defeat them. Instead, there are people who are very sinister within the presidency who are advising the government to use the issue solely for political end. I don’t believe the government can handle the insurgency because they are not sincere about handling the issue. I believe this government cannot handle this insurgency. Some politicians have been urging Jonathan to drop Vice President Namadi Sambo if he wishes to win the election. What is your view on this? I don’t know the consideration behind that statement but frankly speaking, I think what they are saying albeit in coded language is that this Vice President has not added and is incapable of adding any value to the presidential fortunes of the man nominated. So if the president still insists on carrying on with him that is his cup of tea. I don’t see Namadi Sambo adding any value to Jonathan. I think we owe ourselves the truth. Jonathan with a liability like Sambo has not helped this country in anyway. I think this man should be jettisoned. If it is the northerners that have been in the forefront of exposing the massive corruptions going on in the government, I don’t know why you still keep another northerner who is not adding any value to your administration. Original link Read More goo.gl/N5PBE6 (y) ✍comment ☏share
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 20:59:16 +0000
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