You Are Not Fit To Tackle Boko Haram, Balarabe Musa Tells President Jonathan

                                     

Curled from The Nation newspaper

The Chairman of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa yesterday said President Goodluck Jonathan is mishandling the Boko Haram insurgency. Musa, who spoke at a news conference in Abuja, said all indications show that “he cannot deal with the menace”. “Federal Government under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan is mishandling the matter because it shouldn’t take us so long to know the Boko Haram sect. Are they an Islamic movement or agents of destruction?
 Up till now, Nigerians cannot determine because their greatest symbol is defined by the bombing. The matter has become so serious that by now, particularly with the amount of money voted for security,
one quarter of the budget. The government does not have the capacity.

 “The President was not forced to say that there is Boko Haram in his government. How can you say that there is Boko Haram in your government and yet you cannot identify them and deal

with them to satisfy Nigerians? You cannot contain them with the bad development.  

“And even this talk on dialogue, you as the president you are more responsible than the leaders of Boko Haram as far as the country is concerned. The responsibility is on you to initiate dialogue which you have accepted, however, difficult it is. And it is not impossible for government to know the leaders of the Boko Haram that can be dialogued with.

 “I have made several suggestions that let us assume that Boko Haram has legitimate claim of representing Muslims, then in Nigerian right now Christians and Muslims leaders are talking among themselves, they are taking positions on the side of the people both Muslims and Christians. Why can’t the president depend on them? To help him determine whether Boko Haram is a legitimate Islamic movement or an agent of doom and I know it, I am 76 years old and I have been active in the politics of Nigeria and I know Christian and Muslim leaders are capable of advising the president on Boko Haram insurgence. And if he relies on them, it will kill two birds with one stone. 

 “What is the point of relying on his advisers who are politicians and are partisan? I am not saying that he should not rely on them but as it is now, Goodluck Jonathan is not sure of his security. His advisers are advising him wrongly. They are not giving him good advice to tackle the Boko Haram insurgence. Boko Haram is not the only security problem. Nobody is calling on him to resign but it is up to him to decide. 

 “But my concern is that, his resignation and impeachment will not solve the problem. Kogi now is the latest massacre and the way it is going, it may be disastrous. May be it may spread to other states like Cross River or Port Harcourt or Abuja. There is insecurity across the country.”