Poverty, misrule not reason for Boko Haram insurgency – PDP

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that poverty and misrule were not responsible for the insurgency of Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnati Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram.

The PDP in a statement by its national Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said poverty was not a recent phenomenon in Nigeria “and therefore cannot form the basis of the sudden wave of criminal attacks on innocent victims, most of whom live within the poverty bracket.”

It however urged those behind incessant doom in the nation to have a rethink and understand that life was sacred and that nobody has the right to take anyone’s life.

Metuh said that PDP was throwing its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan for his forthrightness on national issues, especially the Boko Haram insurgency as he declared in his last interview on CNN.

Metuh said, “The President is right and we fully align with him on his position that Boko Haram is not a product of poverty or misrule as some people are suggesting. We agree with him that it is a local terror group. “There have been successive regimes before this administration but this insurgency increased the same way terrorist activities are escalating in other parts of the world at this time. So it is clear that some people are out to perpetrate acts of terrorism in Nigeria to create a semblance of insecurity as it obtains in other troubled spots of the world.” The party assures that Jonathan administration would address the issue of security and welfare of Nigerians in line with its manifesto and mandate.

The party also lauded the President for the decision to deploy troops to Mali as part of the nation’s commitment to working with other governments to wipe out terrorism in the sub-region.

On power sector, the PDP also agreed with Jonathan on his declaration that there has been tremendous improvement under the current dispensation and assured that the nation would achieve an enviable level of stability in power supply before the end of the year.

“The President is correct on the issue of power. We all know that power supply in the country has improved tremendously under his watch and we have confidence in the President’s assertion that Nigerians will witness tremendous stability in power supply very soon”, Metuh added.

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