Boko Haram would not have taken place if I were the President – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar took a complete swipe of past administrations in handling the insurgent Boko Haram, saying that if he were the Nigerian leader then, the Boko Haram would not have reared its ugly head in the country.

Atiku Abubakar spoke Tuesday night at the American University of Nigeria AUN Yola while distributing relief materials to over 5,000 internally Displaced persons, IDPs.

“If I were the President of Nigeria when Boko Haram erupted, I could have used all means at my disposal to avert it”.

“When we were in government in 2002, a similar incident which should have been more deadly erupted in Yobe state and we immediately contained it and nothing was heard of it again”. “Such an ugly incident requires a steadfast leadership that is decisive in its deeds in dealing with it”, the former vice President stated.

‘For Boko Haram insurgents to have overran 7 of the 21 local governments of Adamawa State beats my imagination, and the efforts I put in place that prevented Boko Haram from capturing the entire state is left between me and my creator”, he added. ‘I don’t even know my father very well.

But, it does not prevent me from becoming what I am today. As an orphan, I will continue to identify with the less privileged ones in the society in the rest part of my life”, Atiku declared.

“As I clock 70 years this year, all my activities will be dedicated to the cause of the Internally Displaced Persons, not only Adamawa, but in Borno, Yobe and other IDPs camps spread across the country”, he maintained.

The former Vice President implored all his admirers who wish to identify with him as part of his 70th Birthday to channel them to the IDPs.

He commended the Adamawa Peace Initiative for championing the cause of the less privileged in the society, stressing that when the initiative was conceived and put together, the organizers never envisaged the eruption of Boko Haram insurgency, adding that the organization has now assumed the major focal point in reaching the displaced persons in the society.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar along with members of the Adamawa Initiative had earlier visited the St. Theresa Catholic Cathedral and the Jama’atul Nasir Islam JNI where they distributed relief materials to the IDPs there. On the present economic recession in the country, the former vice president absorbed the APC led federal government of any wrong doing, blaming the recession on the fall of the oil price in the international market.

Atiku Abubakar advised Nigerians to diversify as a way out of the recession Earlier, the President of the American University of Nigeria, AUN lauded the Atiku Abubakar for identifying with IDPs and urged other well – to – do to emulate him.