Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday declared that he will do everything ‘humanly’ possible to end the challenge of criminal violence being inflicted on the country by the Boko Haram insurgent group.
The President who identified terrorism as one of the challenges that his administration has been confronted with said this in Abuja in a ceremony to mark his declaration to seek re-election for a second term of office in the 2015 general elections on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The ceremony was witnessed by a mammoth crowd which includes chieftains of PDP, governors and national assembly members elected on the platform of the party and aspirants for various positions in the 2015 elections.
While making reference to the bombing incidents which claimed 48 lives at a secondary school in Potiskum, Yobe State on Monday, the President noted that lives and property of many Nigerians have been lost to the insurgency that has swept through some parts of the country in the past four years.
The President who asked those present at the ceremony to stand up to observe a minute silence in honour of the slain Yobe students lamented that though the killing has “cast a dark cloud on our Nation but we will surely win the war against terror. ”
In addition, the President also promised that the over 200 girls kidnapped from Chibok by the insurgents since April 14 will be freed.
“A number of young men and women have been kidnapped by these criminal elements including our daughters from Chibok. We will free our daughters and defeat terrorism,” the President said.
He added that the armed forces is already being equipped while special forces are also being deployed to engage the terrorist to end the war which he described as “senseless.”
” We must protect our country. We must save our people. I will do everything humanly possible to end this criminal violence in our Nation, ” Jonathan further affirmed.
The President listed the various initiatives government has introduced to mitigate the effects of terrorist attacks in North East Nigeria where the Boko Haram sect has been active.
According to him, to ensure the long term stability and development of the affected areas, government has launched three programmes which he identified as the Presidential Initiative for the North East, the Victim Support Fund and the Safe School Initiative.
“The Presidential Initiative for the Northeast is focused on improving infrastructure and economic growth in the region. The Safe School Initiative is centred on creating a safe environment to encourage our children in the communities to acquire education. The Victim Support Fund, a partnership with the Private Sector, has raised about 60 billion Naira, which will help to empower and rehabilitate victims of terror,” Jonathan explains while promising the region that government will continue to stand with them.
There is more to be done –
The President also listed his achievements in the area of infrastructure development, economy, agriculture, power, transportation, water and other sectors in the past four years affirming that he has done so much done so much in the last three and half years, but to take Nigeria to the next level, there is still more to be done.
President Jonathan who noted that history has shown that the path of honour for any true leader is not to walk away from his people in moments of challenges asked Nigerians to stand together in adversity and overcome all threats to our development.”
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