In an atmosphere of constant defence, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday defended his administration while being confronted with sensitive security questions regarding Nigeria.
The president who was in an interview with Christine Amapour on CNN said Boko Haram terrorist organization was not a product of misrule or poverty.
Jonathan said, “The sect was not borne 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’s why we call on the rest of the world to work with us and that is why we are talking about Algeria, we are talking about northern Mali and our belief is that if you allow terror to exist in any part of the world, it will not just affect that country or that state, it will affect the rest of the globe and we should not play politics with Boko Haram.”
Jonathan had said that the Boko Haram crisis that is gradually taking over some African countries must be contained as quick as possible before it takes over the entire continent.
He said “Definitely, Boko Haram, if it is not contained, will be a threat. Not only to Nigeria, but to West Africa, North Africa, and Central Africa and of course we know that we have element of Boko Haram link up with some of the al Qeada operating in Northern Mali and other North African countries,” Jonathan said in the nightly programme monitored in Lagos.
Jonathan pledged to work with friendly governments around the world to challenge the menace. He said “ we are ready to work with other nationals and friendly governments to make sure that we contain the problems in the sub-region.”
Making reference to the Algerian terror attacks where about 37 people were killed last week, Amanpour had asked the president whether Nigeria was prepared to contain attacks of such magnitude, and he responded thus; “Yes, what happened in Algeria was unfortunate. That is why the government has been working day and night to make sure that we prevent such excesses,”
The President had denied media report that security forces were killing innocent Nigerians in the Northern Nigeria. He had described the report as mere insinuations by some political motivated interest groups.”
Jonathan stood his ground to defend his administration regarding power supply in the country.
Reacting to Amanpour’s question on whether he had fulfilled part of his promises three years ago of ensuring stable power supply in the country, he responded thus; “I would have loved that you ask ordinary Nigerians on the street of Lagos, Abuja or any other city this question about power. This is one area that Nigerians are quite pleased with the government that our commitment to improve power is working. So if you are saying something different, I’m really surprised. That is one area that even civil societies agree that the government has kept faith with its promise.
“We have not got to where we should be and of course we know that power infrastructure is one investment that you must complete the chain before a bulb can light. You must generate, you must transmit, you must distribute and even if you have the money and the political will, you cannot do it overnight and we are working very hard, you cannot do it overnight.”
Jonathan had also opened up when Amanpour made him to understand that she had received several text messages from Nigerians that they may not watch the interview due to Power outage. He accepted that his government was yet to meet the target it had set for a total result to be achieved in the power sector.
The President also affirmed that foreign companies were guilty of crude oil theft in Nigeria, adding that most of the stolen crude was being bought by refineries abroad.
“Frankly speaking, we want the international community to support Nigeria because this stolen crude is being bought by refineries abroad and they know that the crude oil is stolen. The world must condemn what is wrong. The stolen crude is refined abroad, not refined in Nigeria,” he concluded
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