The Borno State Governor, Kashim
Shettima has revealed that frustration as a result of been kept at arms length
by the presidency under the Goodluck Jonathan administration and the suspicion
of his administration in Borno state with regards to the crisis of Boko Haram,
informed his criticism of the past administration.
Shettima told participants at the
emergency security meeting he convened at the Government House Maiduguri, that
when he said in February 2014 that the Nigerian military is not well equipped
to fight Boko Haram was a spontaneous reaction which came out of frustration
and it was in defence of soldiers being killed in front lines.
According to the governor, he
presently feels at home with the Buhari administration because he has access to
the presidency unlike during the past administration, and is able to take the
problems of the state to listening ears of president Muhammadu Buhari.
His words: “Your royal highnesses
and our elders, I will like to start by saying that the aim of convening this
important meeting is not to pass blames or to pass any kind of verdict on our
security agencies. I think the most inhuman way to go is to gather and condemn
those who are putting their lives on the line and giving their lives in efforts
to find peace. We are principally here as a family, as a people all affected
by the situation in Borno State, to discuss suggestions that will hopefully
contribute to combined ongoing efforts towards addressing the problem.
“For seven years, we held our
regular security council meetings. I from to time consult with some of the
participants here. However, I never for once convene an extraordinary meeting
of this nature because, frankly speaking, I was avoiding a sort of
dramatization or being sensational about our challenges in Borno State.
“Without being insensitive to the
realities of our situation, I feel deeply pained whenever Borno is being
discussed on the basis of helpless weakness. I prefer to assume a position of
strength; a position of normalcy and a character of being incurably optimistic.
It was in these regards that we created a full-fledged Ministry of
Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement and deployed enormous public
resources to rebuild more than 30,000 homes of citizens, hospitals, water
installations, local government secretariats, schools and palaces of
traditional rulers. It was with the same mind that we kept on pushing for
voluntary and dignified return of displaced citizens to safe and rebuilt
communities. My greatest wish was and still is, not to bequeath Boko Haram
challenges and IDP Camps to my successor. We wanted to, and still want to get
Borno fully back to normal days. Sometimes, I unconsciously find myself
boasting that Borno is safer than Lagos. I simply feel very bad to sound
pessimistic about Borno. I so much believe in optimism. Of course, I know that
in governance, responding to some situations demand a combination of being both
optimistic and realistic.
“The realities, your royal
highnesses, invited participants, is that while so much was achieved by our
gallant military men and women, we are today faced with serious challenges in
Borno State. But then, these challenges should strengthen our abiding faith and
resolve to continually do whatever we can, in support of our military, the
police, the DSS, our Civilian JTF, all para-military agencies and political
authorities at the federal level, to end the Boko Haram insurgency.
“I have met the President a
number of times, including few weeks ago. I have led our national assembly
members to the President and in all our discussions, we all saw on the face, in
words and actions of the President, absolute sincerity in terms of his deep
concern, his empathy and his compassion towards our plight in the northeast,
particularly in Borno. President Muhammadu Buhari is without the slightest
doubt, devoted to the fight against Boko Haram. I believe that service chiefs,
the IGP, the DG of DSS and heads of all para-military agencies share the
commitment of Mr President. Most importantly, troops in the front lines, have
dwith their own lives, proved their commitment in the service of our country
and in obedience to the President, Commander In Chief. The President has
mobilized world leaders in support of Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram. He
has fostered regional cooperation and he supports troops.
“Some persons have asked why I
have not criticised the Buhari government or the Nigerian military over
situations in Borno. My response to them is that unlike in previous years when
I was treated as an enemy of the Presidency, I have from 2015 to date, gained
unfettered access to the President. I see the Commander-In-Chief at the
shortest request and I tell him my concerns, he listens to me with keen
interest and in most cases, he takes measures. I have not had reason to be
frustrated with the Presidency unlike previous years. Let me say that even
under the previous administration, I regularly supported and defended the
military. When I said in February 2014, tha the military was not being well equipped,
it was not a comment by design, it was a spontaneous reaction which came out of
frustration and it was in defense of the soldiers being killed in front lines.
I knew the problems. Some people have said I was later vindicated. Nigerians
can bear witness that from 2011 to date, I prefer to speak from position of
strength rather than a position of hopelessness. I prefer to inspire our
military and citizens. I prefer to make security matters as discrete as
possible. There were times I managed to see the former President but our
meetings were always under rush. There were times I resorted to writing him for
the record. I remember one specific instance I wrote a strong letter in 2013,
over serious concerns raised by the Nigerian Air Force command in Borno State,
and I have to admit that President Jonathan took immediate measures on that.
“As a state government, we have
done and will continue to do everything humanly possible in support of the
fight against Boko Haram. We have given very serious financial, moral and
political support to the counter-insurgency. All security agencies and the
federal government (including the previous Jonathan administration) have
strongly acknowledged the role of the Civilian JTF in the successes recorded by
the military. From 2013 to date, Borno State Government has been solely
responsible for funding the Civilian JTF in terms of their training, their
allowances, deployment, operational vehicles and their kits. We will continue
to support the Civilian JTF, our military, the police and all other security
agencies. We have secretly been engaging hunters in some areas without making
noise. We believe security of lives is what makes government legitimate.
“Your royal highnesses, invited
participants, everyone here has been playing one or more roles in the fight
against Boko Haram. This fight is a collective one that affects all of us. We
all have stakes in the peace and stability of Borno and this is why we chose to
hold an extraordinary security meeting with carefully chosen participants.
There are many important stakeholders that were not invited and it is not
because they do not matter but because we wanted to minimize our number. We
deliberately did not invite persons on individual basis in order to prevent
perceptions or feelings of alienation. Even as this gathering is constituted,
it is too large from a security point of view. Nevertheless, we are at a point
in which we needed to convene a meeting of this nature so as to form a broader
and more inclusive platform to listen to each other, to hopefully generate some
new ideas. To chart a new course and to also rebuild public confidence.
Leadership requires building and nurturing the hopes of citizens. Times like
ours require all of us raising the hopes of citizens, but these hopes should
not be blind ones. They should be based on the measures we take.
“Their Royal highnesses are
permanent leaders and custodians of our communities. We politicians come and
go, royal fathers do not have tenure of office. Our elders here are the conscience
of our communities. They stood for Borno when it was impossible to move freely
in our state capital. Our national and state assembly members are
representatives of our people. I do not think it is wise to see security as
purely an executive thing. I believe in productive and strategic cooperation.
We all need ourselves to move faster. The legislature is sometimes the most
authoritative in relating with organs of the Federal Government. All the groups
we invited have roles to play. We need the buy-in and ideas of the NLC, whose
members have been victims in different places attacked. We need the NBA whose
lawyers deal with issues of public rights including being defendants of
suspects under prosecution and who should guide us. We need our retired military
elders in the Nigerian Legion whose experiences of yesterday can be benefit to
this gathering. We invited journalists. We need the NUJ leadership to as
stake-holders, help us manage information in ways that will help the state and
not destabilize it. I have in the course of work realized that the best way to
relate with journalists is to sometimes take them into confidence. We invited
unions of transport and road workers whose hundreds of members move around the
state and have come across different security situations. They see so much on
the roads. We invited representatives of our tertiary institutions, religious
leaders and management of markets for us to think ahead of insurgents. Knowing
the Boko Haram, they may send our minds to the north while planning to head the
south. We need to strengthen security measures in schools, mosques and
churches, markets and all public places across Borno State. We should not be
taken unawares. We invited the council on women societies because women and our
children constitute the largest number of traumatized and displaced victims of
the Boko Haram insurgency. They bear the brunt.
“Your royal highnesses, elders,
national and state assembly members, heads of security establishments, members
of the state executive council, chairmen, representatives of various groups, I
will like to appeal to all of us that our meeting should not be driven by
emotions. We should speak with logic. We should see all of here as stakeholders
with genuine interest in the peace and security of Borno. We should speak with
mutual respect and with trust in the sincerity of each other. Our focus should
largely be about finding solutions. We all know the situation of things. Let us
as a family with equal stakes, suggest solutions that will insha’Allah,
contribute to addressing our problems.
“I wish us a meaningful meeting
and not a tea party. I will at this point thank and request our friends in the
media to allow us hold a closed door meeting. I will like to say also that we
are not issuing a communique. Whatever we resolve will be transmitted to the
President, Commander In Chief in writing and not for public consumption.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com