The Coalition of Northern Politicians,
Academics, Professionals and Businessmen and an opposition party on
Thursday took a swipe at President Goodluck Jonathan over his comment
that Boko Haram was not caused by poverty or misrule.
Jonathan had in an interview with the Cable News Network’s Christiane
Amanpour, Wednesday night, said, “The sect was not born out of misrule,
definitely not; sometimes people feel it is a result of poverty, but
no. Boko Haram is a local terror group and that is why we call on the
rest of the World to help us.”
But the Convener of the Coalition of
Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr.
Junaid Mohammed, disagreed with claims by the President.
Mohammed said in a telephone interview
with one of our correspondents that it amounted to begging the issue for
the President to deny the link between poverty, misrule, bad governance
and general insecurity.
The member of parliament in the Second
Republic, said, “I don’t agree with him (Jonathan). If he denies that
poverty, bad governance and misrule right through history is not
responsible for violence, then let him tell us what is.
“If he says it is political, everything
that happens in a political environment is political. What he should now
tell us is if poverty is not an issue and if bad governance is not
responsible for part of our problems in Nigeria, let him tell us whether
or not these are political.
“In any case, if indeed what is
responsible for the violence and insecurity in the country is politics,
what is the solution to it?
“What is he planning to do? What are his
own ideas of dealing with this problem? Or is he saying that because
they are political, we should all stop playing politics?”
Also, the Executive Director of Civil
Rights Congress, Mallam Shehu Sani, faulted Jonathan’s assertion that
the Boko Haram insurgency was not a product of misrule and poverty.
Sani, in a separate telephone interview
with one of our correspondents, said the President’s assertion
demonstrated his lack of understanding of the issue.
Sani said, “What we should understand
clearly is that the President is completely lacking in knowledge and
grasp of the situation on the ground.
“And one comment after another, he has
completely exposed his ignorance about the root causes and solution to
the Boko Haram violence.
“The emergence and sustenance of the
Boko Haram violence is remotely connected to the years of destruction,
injustice and iniquity in the northern part of Nigeria.
“The major foot soldiers of the group are clearly people who are from the lower ladder of the society.
“It is not possible to find people who are economically comfortable engaging in violence.”
When asked about the privileged
background of the underwear bomber, Abdulmutallab, Sani said, “That is
Mutallab as an individual but this is a group. Mutallab acted as an
individual; he acted alone.
“He enjoyed privileges and got connected to a foreign terrorist group, what we are talking about is a homegrown terrorist group.
“I am sure those who are being arrested are foot soldiers only; you don’t see people from the middle class or the upper class.”
On his part, the spokesman for the
Congress for Progressive Change, Mr. Retime Fashakin, said Boko Haram
was a result of the Peoples Democratic Party’s misrule.
He said, “Most probably, Boko Haram
evolved out of the hopelessness of PDP’s misrule in the last 13 years. A
hegemony that refused to reduce the burgeoning army of unemployed
youths is definitely stoking the fire of discontent in the land.
“Starting from the Obasanjo regime to
date, Nigeria’s political economy has always been driven to satisfy the
whims and caprices of the Breton Wood institutions and their choking
economic prescriptions.
“Do you now see why this will naturally
encourage people’s discontent? If you understand the fact the Nigeria
has about six times the income in the last 13 years than between 1960
and 1998, then you will come to terms with profligacy embedded in the
PDP brand. These resources have been frittered away through legendary
corruption and anti-people schemes.”
National Chairman, Action Congress of
Nigeria, Chief Bisi Akande, who spoke through his media assistant, Mr
Lani Baderinwa, on Thursday, asked rhetorically, “If poverty and misrule
are not the cause of Boko Haram, what then is it?”
“Majority of Nigerians believe Boko
Haram is caused by poverty while many people believe it is due to the
jostle for 2015 presidential ticket within the Peoples Democratic
Party,” he said.
An online information network, Conscience Reports, on Thursday in a statement made available to journalists by its Chief Executive, Mr. Eneruvie Enakoko, said the CNN interview had exposed the President’s lack of touch with the realities of the nation.
“The Amanpour interview further
revealed that the President is neither in charge nor on top of issues;
he seems to have lost touch with reality, and he clearly has lost
control, because the Nigeria he spoke of last night (Wednesday)
certainly does not exist; it exists only perhaps in his dreams,” Enakoko
said.
He said the President was “at best untruthful” in answering questions from his interviewer.
PUNCH
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Really!
ReplyDeleteSo the Northern elders now have voices.
I really thought they were deaf, dumb and blind to what hasten going on in this country.
Thousands of people have been killed as a result of this BoKo Haram madness yet they have never come out to condemn the killings.
Jonathan has spoken on CNN and you all attack him.
May God strike you all dead.
Enhe! Mr President is right, Boko haram is NOT as a result of Poverty. Its purely a religious α̲̅πϑ political nonsense. Everytime they will make yeye noise α̲̅πϑ give τ̣̣ђё North a bad name.Naija Delter struggle came as a result of poor conditions but not BH.what are the conditions given by BH f☺я cease fire? Our president should turn a muslim! Imagine! If they are poor where d0 they get money τ̲̅☺ buy massive weaponry? I hate when these thieves come ☺π air τ̲̅☺ start shouting "d north" wants that or this.Mtchew!!
ReplyDeleteI could see that our President is moron when it comes to good governance but when you are talking about Corruption is number one .
ReplyDeleteUseless President .
U MUST BE A MORON TO BE CALLING OUR PRESIDENT USELESS.I DNT TNK U COME OUT OF GUD HOME BACKGROUND.all ur clan are useless
DeleteWarning! Warning!! Warning!!! Pls men of wisdom assist me as a matter of urgency. Oh! We shld take care with certain globalizatn issues & collaboration. Dia are serious external influence & efforts on developing nations to disintegrate & instigate crises alike to weaken dem 4 anoda planned logical & gradual invading & slavery. Who provide weapons, sell & distribute same to all manners of groups? Wen dey 1st used military to achieved al dey want and wen dey found out again dat military as spread out is given dem hard time dat is y the gradual shift to the imposing democracy again according to dia dictates. World politics, do we tink dat the developed will neva allow the developing to develop? 4 radical change & striking shake 4 Africa & to we Nigerians to take the lead & beta save our nation is to 1st send foreigners packing 4 a limited time 4 us to critically luk 4 way forward & any half cas will not be part of the caucus decision. Thereafter dat we can then allow any foreigner according to clear terms & conditions subjected to renewal with time to us.
ReplyDeleteInternally, Ce hw we only claimed to be religious, moral, decent, discipline, educated, learned & civilized, if we are not clearly deceiving ourselves, I challenge Nigerians in particular & the world in general dat if we are not worshippers of devil & demons then we shld prove it wrong & completely ban & with hard laws on jst some of this evil things inimical to our society causing societal menace such as hard drugs (Indian hemp, cocaine etc), hard alcoholism along the varying energy drinks & it associates etc. & capital punishment on corruption & remove impunity. Do we know hw deadly is corruption & its attendant problems? Corruption is a silent killer, fast in killing many lives in silent & an economy. Or is dia any religion or any moral value or education in support of it? Yet we acclaim to one religion or the other to ourselves or we easily said we are moral, educated, discipline & all sort. Are we been jst to ourselves? Dis the root of our problems & we shld stop round abouting it. See hw we are wronging ourselves. If it continue as it dominate & we fail or presume to get it, is den a clear indications of clear devil & demons worshipping & of all our claims dat head any society towards a critical danger zone. The reality is that no gain, no gud but jst an illusion of a mere mirage if the right thing is not done, we still be waking each time & meet reality waiting. An aggregation of the whole made the world scientists, engineers & technologists as all “other smart ways” failed to resort for making an “alternative earth” the mars habitable, have we still make a headway or has it been achieved or we already in the mars planet? & wait, we are waiting…
Oh northerners u people say poverty, wia do d boko haram gets d money dey use in purchasing d weapons? How many years have u people ruled still u people are poor. Currently how many of u people are in big positions in nigeria govt now? You people are d course of ur poverty. Stop blaming mr president for his speech. Senseless human beings.
ReplyDeleteOh northerners u people say poverty, wia do d boko haram gets d money dey use in purchasing d weapons? How many years have u people ruled still u people are poor. Currently how many of u people are in big positions in nigeria govt now? You people are d course of ur poverty. Stop blaming mr president for his speech. Senseless human beings.
ReplyDeleteJunaid will called all name but religion never occur to his mind. you see people we call intellectual?
ReplyDeleteWe Nigerians are too religious, but we lack manners. This is why we may have serious problems as far as peaceful coexistence is concerned. Lets stop raising acusing fingers, and forge ways outta these challenges of curruption, insecurity, poverty and unemployment. Come On! Lets c0me t0 terms!!!
ReplyDeleteu talk toomuch
ReplyDeleteIt surprised me it time the north blame JEG 4 poverty in the north. They armed their destitude and almagirI and expect JEG to empty the national purse 4 them. I think its time this union called Nigeria to split and let those jehadist practice their religion in their DRY LAND. NONSENSE!
ReplyDeleteBoko haram is northern political agenda to overthrown Jonathan and enthrone islamic regime. Its no longer a mystery that the group is being sponsor and funded by northern political and religious leaders. Both Northern political elites and religious leaders never condemned this stupid act of boko haram. Even satan never kill like the jihadist arms of the islamic movement. Presently they have covered the earth blood. APC is demonic. Nobody shld ever think that APC is an alternative to PDP.
ReplyDeletehaha when a group of people said they are fighting to islamise this country you elders here in the north keep silent ,,they group started killing c/tians & then the gov you keep silent now when you see the vampire has gone wild and started eaten every body in the north bcos it is not supported again why are not ashamed our children will always regret our action North today is not the north b/4 and after the civil war pls let us come to the reality of things old politicians should step aside with their doctrine of north and religion face fact this doctrine has always keep us backward. Some gov in the north has abolished such doctrines and are doing very well eg Kano, Kasina sokoto who trying to eradicate child begging on the streets ,,, and to face true worship from the heart where the old politicians failed ....the are now developing where the old preachers of division failed to develop
ReplyDelete