Governor Ibrahim Shema
Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, has stated that the move by President Goodluck Jonathan to explore the possibility of declaring amnesty for Boko Haram sect tallies with the yearnings of the Northern people
The Governor said this in Abuja on Friday when he said that, setting up of a committee by the president to look into the issue was a step taken in good faith to finding a lasting solution to the continuous insecurity in the North.
According to him, “I believe if a security committee is set up, it is in good faith, it is for the good of Nigeria and for the resolution to the crisis that has bedeviled most of northern Nigeria on the issue of insecurity.
“So, if a committee on amnesty is set up, it is done because Nigerians and leaders from the Northern part of the country are yearning for a quick resolution of the matter and the president is responding positively to this request so that our nation can go on in peace, progress and development.”
Shema debunked the assertion that the Northern Governors’ Forum had not done much towards the resolution of the Boko Haram crisis in the north and had, instead, waited for the president to seize the initiative.
He said: “That cannot be correct because if you remember, the Northern Governors’ forum did set up a special committee of peace, healing and reconciliation. And that committee has been working very hard and is submitting its second report to the Northern Governors’ forum and certainly all hands are on deck, including traditional institutions, religious and political leaders, even from the services – military, the police, SSS are all part of that committee.
“So, there has been very serious efforts by the Northern Governors forum to tackle this insecurity in Northern Nigeria.”
The Katsina state Governor advised the insurgents to understand that there cannot be progress without peace and therefore urged them to sheath their swords and come to the negotiating table for dialogue.
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