Jonathan: Boko Haram wants to topple government

PM News
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday said Islamist group Boko Haram was seeking to destabilise the government and had continually changed its targets in an effort to do so.

“Terrorists all over the world have one common agenda: destabilising government,” he said during a question-and-answer session on national television before describing how the group had moved from targeting local rivals to government institutions and now churches.

Jonathan, who has come under heavy criticism in recent days over spiralling violence in the country’s north, described how the group had moved from targeting local rivals to government institutions and now churches.

He said earlier waves of attacks had not brought down the government, leading the group to target churches in Africa’s most populous nation, roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.

“Attacking churches is to instigate religious crisis,” Jonathan said. “They believe that when they attack a church, Christian youths will revolt against Muslim youths. They don’t care about who dies in the process.

“If it doesn’t work, the same Boko Haram will start attacking mosques to instigate Muslim youths to attack Christians. So they change their tactics.”

Jonathan however pledged that Nigeria would halt the violence. He said the government was open to dialogue if Boko Haram figures identified themselves and made clear demands.

The television appearance, in which the president took questions from a panel of journalists before fielding phone-in questions from ordinary Nigerians, featured some of his clearest statements yet on the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed hundreds since 2009.

Most of his public comments have been limited to assurances that the violence will soon end, and the country’s main Christian body this week in a rare move directly and harshly criticised him over his response to the insurgency.

According to him, security is a global challenge now and most parts of the world are grappling with the problem and Nigeria is not an exception.

He said his government was prepared to dialogue with members of the sect and make them useful citizens, but expressed worries that they are “faceless.”

He appealed to Nigerians who have been able to contact the sect members to help inform them that government meant well and was ready for dialogue.

Jonathan denied that government was arresting children of Boko Haram members, but said some criminals also have their wives as criminals thus justifying why the security agents sometimes had to arrest wives of Boko Haram members.

The President, who also defended his trip to Brazil, said he had to continue to work for the progress of the country even in the face of such challenges, saying other presidents have always advised him not to stop the running of government because of Boko Haram insurgency.

He added that Boko Haram cannot stop the government from running as those in government would continue to travel for the progress of the country whether they struck or not.

The President, while reacting to insinuations that he was slow with his fight against corruption, said he was happy with the current EFCC and ICPC chairmen as they have consistently proven that they are up to the task.

Emphasising his trust for the current EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, Jonathan said he was the brain behind most of the successes recorded by Nuhu Ribadu as head of the anti-corruption agency.

He also said Lamorde investigated him as the Governor of Bayelsa State and as a result, he could vouch for him.

On the controversy surrounding his refusal to publicly declare his assets, the president said he places such issues as matters of principles, adding that he had warned his predecessor, the late Umaru Yar’Adua, not to allow the government start an issue by publishing their assets.

He said the country was dear to him and his cabinet, adding that he directed one of his Ministers, Olusegun Aganga, to contract a foreign firm to audit the NNPC, saying if he had something to hide or he wanted to protect someone, he would not do that.

He also justified his resolve to sanitise the oil sector with the appointment of Nuhu Ribadu to head a committee in the sector.

He absolved the presidency of any role in the sting operation that nailed Farouk Lawan in the alleged bribery case, adding that it was the journalists who broke the news of Farouk Lawan’s alleged involvement in the scam.

He said Nigerians have now taken to criticising him for every single thing that happens in the country.

He pleaded with Nigerians to give the administration some time, adding that this was the reason the government is encouraging the private sector to invest in electricity.

He said though there is high unemployment in the country, there is hope since the economy is growing. “We are happy the economy is growing and we would do our best to ensure that it grows.”

He said his government was planning to employ over 70,000 in its short term plan to reduce unemployment adding that his government believed in the growing of entrepreneurs.

On whether he will contest in 2015, he said it was too early to start talking about 2015 when had just spent one year in office.

President Jonathan said his relationship with the National Assembly was cordial, adding that he had no issues with being invited by the National Assembly.

He said he wished he could address the nation more often on the floor of the National Assembly as is the case in other countries.

On the Unilag name change, he said what he did was right, being the visitor to the university, adding that some people are fanatical about names.

He also decried the large scale crude oil theft going on the Niger Delta and vowed that it would be stopped.

Additional reports by Eromosele Ebhomele