Governor Kashim Shettima
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno said on Tuesday that peace would soon be restored to the troubled North East zone of the country.
Shettima gave the assurance to State House correspondents after a security meeting with Service Chiefs, some Governors and Senators from the North East zone presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The governor, who said that the meeting was convened to strategise on new method and ways of fighting insurgency in the affected states, described the deliberations as ’’very fruitful’’.
‘‘Well, we had very fruitful deliberations and pollination of ideas on how to find lasting solution to the insurgency bedevilling us in that part of the world.
‘‘I’m an eternal optimist and I am passionate too for that matter that we shall have enduring peace very soon with the very robust frame work on ground.
‘‘I don’t want to mention a date or anything but I believe our military is arising to the challenges of the time.’’
According to him, the military will robustly respond to the security challenges, assuring that elections will be conducted in Borno and other states in the zone.
‘‘Elections as I told you was conducted in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and several other war torn places and are even more devastated than the north east.
‘‘Elections can be held in the IDPs camps, human beings that conduct elections not spirit or anything.
‘‘My take on this is that, are we giving in to Boko Haram? Are we giving in to their antics by not holding elections? We have to tell them to their face that you can kill as Malala Yusuff said, but you cannot kill our spirit.’’
The governor also assured that the state government would continue to provide logistics and financial support to the security agencies to enable them carry out their operations.
‘‘Our most important task is to offer whatever support be it logistics, financial to the military to carry out on their operations.
‘‘Honestly I don’t want to dwell on the politics behind the counter-insurgency operations because we are one people with a common destiny.
‘‘And this is the time for all of us irrespective of differences in political affiliations, religious persuasions, tribal or sectional background to collapse into a single course and bring about this madness to an end.’’
NAN
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