Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, has denied the killing of about 200 people in Baga community, Borno State, North-east Nigeria.
Speaking on Thursday morning on ChannelsTV programme, Sunrise, as monitored by DailyPost, Okupe said the Secretary to Borno State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, must be held responsible for the high figure being carried by the media on the incident.
He said that Jidda apparently saddened by the development which occurred in his hometown, dished out an outrageous figure without due consultations with security agencies.
“The Borno SSG’s statement was the first-ever on the clash and that was what went viral in the press. He only gave an estimate which unfortunately is way off line. But the Military said 25 insurgents and 6 civilians died.”
“Let us stick to that, pending the outcome of the probe panel set up by Mr President on the matter; We should not jump to conclusion,” he urged.
On the allegations by the United States Government that corruption level was still high in Nigeria, Okupe said the report by the State Department was sensational with no fresh facts.
“When I woke up that morning and saw the report, I didn’t read it. But the next morning, I picked up the paper, went through and saw that there is absolutely no new thing in that report.”
“They say court cases of former public officials is still dragging on for years, we know that. They say some Judges are corrupt, we know that. They said all kinds which you and I already know,” he said.
He further re-echoed Jonathan’s tough stance on corruption, saying in just two years, the president has done what previous governments overlooked.
“Look at the oil subsidy scam, do you know it has been going on for years before it was uncovered last year. Also look at the Police Pension scam, that too has been on.”
“We should commend the president for taking the bold step to stamp out graft.”
When asked to respond on amnesty for members of violent Islamic sect Boko Haram, the presidential spokesman said it is the best solution to end the insurgency.
According to him, “The damage the militants have done is unquantifiable and we may not recover from it in 20 years. The president is a listening leader. Yes, he once said he will not grant amnesty to faceless individuals, but the leaders of the region went to him and appealed to him that ‘Sir, give us a chance to talk to the sect’ and he obliged”
“I think whatever we can do to achieve a lasting peace in that region should be considered. Nothing can be too much. We have spent billions, yet the violence is still on. If not for the Boko Haram issue, Nigeria should have close to N500 billion Naira annually for use on developmental projects.”
Defending the declaration of assets by his boss, he said the president is not bound by law to publicly announce his assets.
“What some people want is to see President Goodluck Jonathan go to the national stadium and tell them what he owns. He declared his assets while he was the Deputy Governor, Governor, Vice-President, and even now”
“And let me add that his declaration was before the Code of Conduct Bureau. Anyone who wants to have it, can go and apply, it is not within the purview of the presidency.”
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