Following the crash of the proposed peace talks between the Islamist fundamentalists, otherwise known as Boko Haram and the Federal Government, Northern leaders have accused President Goodluck Jonathan led Government of being insincere and unwilling to dialogue with the dreaded group.
This came following President Goodluck Jonathan’s denial of embarking on any kind of dialogue with the sect during the Presidential Media Chat of last Sunday and the offer of cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of 20 leaders of the group on Friday.
According to the spokesman of the Northerner Elders’ Forum, Dr. Paul Unongo, the action shows that the Federal Government has suspended the plans to negotiate with the outlawed sect.
He said, “If by facelessness, Jonathan means that there are different versions of Boko Haram, then it is understandable. Security agencies have been arresting people they say are leaders of the sect. So, there must be something not quite correct here.
“When we (NEF) met the President, we suggested the carrot-and-stick approach to him and he accepted it. However, what is reprehensible is the excessive application of the stick. What Nigerians want to see is the end of the violence and loss of innocent lives.
“If Jonathan applies himself to it, he would identify people he can talk to and they would relate his message to Boko Haram. He has to create the atmosphere for that negotiation to happen.”
Unongo said that when the Federal Government could not handle the violent activities of the Niger Delta militants, it negotiated with them.
He said, “The militants were rehabilitated and compensated with huge sums of money; some of them were given big contracts. If it was possible for the militants in the Niger Delta, which is Jonathan’s part of the country, why would it not be possible for Boko Haram in the North?”
On the cash rewards placed on the leaders of the sect, Unongo said, “On the surface, placing a bounty on the heads of the leaders of Boko Haram shows that the FG has dropped negotiation.”
In the same vein, Secretary of the Borno State Elders’ Forum, Dr. Bulama Gubio, said that Federal Government’s failure to dialogue with the dreaded group has shown Jonathan’s poor commitment to resolving the crisis.
He said, “Since the President has said there is no negotiation going on between the Federal Government and Boko Haram, what else can we say? All we can do is to continue to appeal to both sides to negotiate in the interest of the people.
“Our people are dying every day and our economy is paralysed. Borno State is still part of Nigeria, so the Federal Government should swallow its pride and go the extra mile to make sure the negotiation works. I don’t think Federal Government can solve the problem without negotiation.”
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