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Tag: Goodluck

  • Goodluck and Godswill

    Goodluck and Godswill

    Politics is a game that outsiders are bound to find fascinating, especially the variant practised in this clime. A father can sell his son or daughter all in the name of politics. Blood, in politics, is not thicker than water. In politics, a relationship of decades can come crashing down all because of interest. Like they say, in politics, there are no permanent friends but interests. This means what matters is interest. To hell with everything else.

    Today, I want to tell the story of two political men whose relationship of late, to me, typifies politics Nigeriana! One answers Goodluck; the other is called Godswill.

    In political terms, Goodluck is more relevant. He controls power at the centre. Godswill operates at the second wrung of the ladder.

    For some time now, Goodluck has been having running battles from all angles. He needed people to work with him in tackling the challenges. Godswill was one of those who stuck out their necks for him. On his behalf, Godswill abused everybody possible. With words drilling with sarcasm, Godswill fought Goodluck’s enemies.

    With the way the duo carried on, it was like no one can ever see through them. But the first sign that people like me saw which made us feel all that glitters is not gold was when a man who goes by the name King, another close ally of Goodluck, started campaigning to succeed Godswill, a development that obviously did not go down well with His Excellency.

    I wondered then what was wrong. I asked why Goodluck would be sponsoring a candidate for a position his chief loyalist had his own agenda. I got no answer. Now, the answers are tumbling out and we sure will get more as the days go by.

    In case you are still wondering, Goodluck is none other than our President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikwe Jonathan. And Godswill is His Excellency— the good boy of Niger Delta—  Obong Godswill Akpabio, who rules over Akwa Ibom.

    Check the newspapers of recent, especially The Nation, and you will have a feeling that a political war is on in Akwa Ibom. Daily, advertorials upon advertorials are published. Some by pro-Akpabio elements; others by anti-Akpabio elements. Two important ones, which put in perspective the relationship between Goodluck and Godswill, appeared last week in this newspaper. One was the communique of a meeting by the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party held a meeting at the Government House, Uyo, where a vote of confidence was passed on Akpabio and a vote of no confidence was passed on the Adamawa-born Ahmed Gulak, who was sacked on Tuesday as Political Adviser to the President. The attack on Gulak was seen in bad faith by Chief Don Etiebet, who said he shunned the meeting for reasons, including the fact that it was supposed to have taken place at the party’s secretariat. Etiebet feels attacking Gulak, who might have been in Uyo on the president’s instruction, amounts to attacking Jonathan himself. He feels Akpabio should not have allowed that to happen. To him, if Gulak committed any infraction, the governor ought to have reported him to the president privately instead of ridiculing him publicly. Did Gulak’s sack have anything to do with this? Former FCT Minister Nasir el-Rufai does not think so. He believes Gulak will resurface as the Director-General of the Jonathan-Sambo Campaign Organisation. PDP chair Adamu Muazu sees Gulak as arrogant.

    The poser  from all these is: Is all well between Jonathan and Akpabio, especially as it concerns who leads the state next? Neither of them has publicly acknowledged any rancour, but some say things may fall apart soon. And I ask: is history about repeating itself? In 2007, when then Akwa Ibom State Governor Obong Victor Attah was leaving office, Akpabio, who was his Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, was not his choice. He preferred Bob Ekarika, his son-in-law. But, the then president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, favoured Akpabio. At the end of it all, the Presidency had its way and Attah was made to nominate a deputy. He chose his former Commissioner for Information Patrick Ekpotu, who did not last long before falling out with Akpabio. His successor as deputy governor has also since been replaced.

    Akpabio has not publicly acknowledged who his choice for a successor is. Many believe it is Udom Emmanuel, his latest Secretary to the State Government, who was a top gun in the banking world. The governor has clearly said he would prefer his successor to be from Eket. Emmanuel is from Eket. But is Aso Rock thinking the same way with Akpabio? If not, then we may see a replay of the 2007 scenario, when Akpabio emerged.

    The battle, no doubt, has begun. Last week, Commissioner for Finance Bassey Akpan and Commissioner for Rural Development Effiong Abia were sacked in what observers say is a continuation of the intense politicking in the build up to the 2015 elections. The governor also approved the immediate removal of the chairmen of some Boards of government parastatals and agencies. The affected chairmen include those for Akwa Ibom Property and Investment Company Limited (APICO), Sunny Udom; Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited (AKWCL), Patrick Ifon; Akwa Ibom Newspaper Corporation (AKNC), Dan Akai; and Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC), Alex Nyong. The Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Management Board (AKEPMB), John Asikpo; and that of Akwa Ibom State Agency for Community and Social Development, Tony Esu, were also sacked.

    The  decision to sack the commissioners and the aides, explained the government, was  “in view of the need to re invigorate the machinery of government and drive further the Uncommon Transformation Programmes of the state.” But, beneath this official reason is politics. Politics of 2015. Akpan, for instance, wants to be governor. He is said to be strong. So, interests have clashed and things have got to give way, simple! After all, there are no permanent friends, but interests.

    It is worthy of mention here that the battle for the soul of Akwa Ibom is not just a matter of Goodluck and Godswill. Many people of Ibibio extraction are also unhappy with the governor. They say he cannot choose for them. Akwa Ibom is sure a state to watch as we journey to 2015. The plots are unfolding. Stay tuned.

  • Bulgarian trade team coming

    Bulgarian trade team coming

    President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Nigeria is looking forward to receiving a trade delegation from Bulgaria to boost economic relations between both countries.

    Speaking during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 4th European Union (EU)-Africa Summit in Brussels, Belgium with the Bulgarian President, Mr. Rosen Plevneliev, Jonathan said the time was ripe for the revitalisation of the Nigeria-Bulgaria Bi-National Commission, which had its last meeting in 1989.

    He recalled the cordial relationship between both countries in the 70s, during which the National Arts Theatre in Lagos, which he described as “a national monument”, was built by a Bulgarian company.

    Jonathan hailed Bulgarian companies for equipping Nigerian secondary schools for technical education during that period.

    “Let us increase trade and investment between the two countries,” he said, adding: “Nigeria has a vast area for investment. We believe we must add value to gas and crude oil, which is the only way to create jobs.”

    The President said his administration encouraged the private sector to invest more in the economy.

    The Bulgarian President, lauding the 50 years of diplomatic relations between both nations, stressed the need to deepen and expand the bilateral relations.

  • President sacks Service Chiefs

    President sacks Service Chiefs

    All the service chiefs were given the boot yesterday.

    President Goodluck Jonathan fired them barely 24 hours after Wednesday’s Armed Forces Day celebration in Abuja.

    The ceremony, where they took the salute and laid wreaths alongside the President and other top government officials, turned out to be a valedictory event for them.

    Sacked were the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Ibrahim, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt.-Gen Azubuike Ihejirika, Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Alex Badeh and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba.

    A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, said Air Marshal Badeh is now the Chief of Defence Staff.

    Marshal Badeh takes over from Admiral Ibrahim. Air Vice Marshal Adesola Amosu replaces Marshal Badeh as Chief of Air Staff.

    Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah becomes the Chief of Army Staff. He succeeds Gen. Ihejirika.

    Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin succeeds Vice Admiral Ezeoba as Chief of Naval Staff.

    Abati said the changes were with immediate effect.

    He said the President made the appointments in exercise of the powers conferred on him under the 1999 Constitution.

    “The President has briefed the leadership of the National Assembly on the new appointments.

    “Also, the President, in keeping with the provisions of the law, will request the National Assembly to formally confirm the appointments when it reconvenes,’’ Abati said.

    Marshal Badeh was born on January 10, 1957.

    He joined the Air Force as a cadet of the 21 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).

    Gen. Minimah was born on July 27, 1959. He is a member of the NDA 25 Regular Course.

    He was the Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps at Jaji.

    Admiral Jibrin was born on September 16, 1959. He joined the Navy as a member of the NDA 24 Regular Course.

    He was Director of Training at Defence Headquarters (NDA).

    Marshal Amosu, who is the immediate-past Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, was born on August 1, 1958.

    He joined the Air Force as a member of the NDA 25 Regular Course.

    Air Vice Marshal Amosu was the Air Officer Commanding, Tactical Air Command, Makurdi.

    Activist Lagos lawyer Festus Keyamo has described the military chiefs removal as welcome. The military chiefs were fired days after his 14-day ultimatum to the President to comply with the judgment of a Federal High Court which declared illegal their appointment without recourse to the National Assembly.

    Keyamo described as commendable the appointment of their successors in line with constitutional provisions.

    “The rule of law is the cornerstone upon which we must build our constitutional democracy and it is only such strict compliance with the judgments of courts that will guarantee the stability of our democracy,” he said.

    There was jubilation in the Navy yesterday following the removal of Vice Admiral Ezeoba

    At both the Western Naval Command (WNC) and Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), the removal of Admiral Ezeoba was well received. Many personnel were uncomfortable with his alleged “high-handedness”.

    Officers, who were seen in clusters discussing the military shake up, decried Ezeoba’s “fiery temper”.

    Some senior officers alleged that the former CNS publicly insulted naval officers including Rear Admirals.

    Admiral Ezeoba reportedly embarrassed former Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) NAVTRAC, Rear Admiral Azubuike Ajuonu at the NNS Quorra, during the CNS’ annual inspection of commands and formations..

    That incident was recounted by senior officers yesterday, who felt Ajuonu had been vindicated.

    They expressed hope that with Rear Admiral Jibrin’s appointment, mutual respect and a friendly atmosphere would be created.

  • President promises even spread of appointments, jobs

    President promises even spread of appointments, jobs

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said his administration will ensure an even spread of appointments and job creation.

    The President spoke in Abuja when he swore in the chairman and members of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) and chairman and members of the National Pension Commission (PenCom) before the beginning of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

    Dr Jonathan urged the new PenCom team to stop the bad press pension payments had caused by ensuring that pensioners receive their retirement benefits at the appropriate time.

    He said: “Given the potential for unpatriotic and desperate elements to seek to undermine our national unity by playing on the diversity, which characterises our great nation, it is critical that members of the FCC discharge their constitutional mandate with profound courage and dedication.

    “I assure Nigerians that under my watch, the Federal Government will give no section of the country any cause to feel excluded. That is why I hereby reinstate my administration’s commitment to continue to support the FCC in meeting its vital constitutional responsibilities.

    “While ensuring even spread of appointments and employment in the country, the government is also mindful of the fate of retirees who have served this nation. It is of paramount importance to this administration that pensioners receive their retirement benefits when due. “PenCom is statutorily charged with the responsibilities of regulating and supervising pension matters in Nigeria.”

  • Manu dedicates trophy to Goodluck, wife

    Manu dedicates trophy to Goodluck, wife

    Coach Manu Garba (MFR) has dedicated Nigeria’s fourth record FIFA Under-17 World Cup victory to both President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Hajiya Babita Garba after Golden Eaglets 3-0 thrashing of Mexico on Friday in Abu Dhabi.

    Away from the battery of cameras and in the hallowed corridors of Al

    Jazira’s dressing room in Abu Dhabi, Manu said both President Jonathan and his jewel of inestimable value more than anybody deserved praises for the feat he achieved with his team. He recalled it was only President Jonathan that hosted the team upon their team’s return from the CAN Under-17 Championship where they came second.

    “This trophy is for President Goodluck Jonathan who had a strong belief in us despite the fact that we came second at the African championship,” Manu said. “We were really fired up when he hosted us after the African Championship and we are looking forward to meeting Mr. President again with the World Cup Trophy.”

    Manu described President Jonathan as a very lucky man after the Golden Eaglets followed the footsteps of the Super Eagles for winning a major trophy in 2013. The senior national team started the year with glorious outing at the AFCON in South Africa and the Golden Eaglets World Cup win is more than an icing on the cake as 2013 drags to an end.

    He revealed that the first person he called immediately y after the final whistle of the match that saw his young guns dethroned Mexico as the World Under-17 Champions and entered the pantheon of world football as the first to win a record fourth world title.“ In fact, for the past four months I was not able to see my wife because of the nature of this job and I’m so happy that all the efforts we put into this work was not in vain,” he said. “I want to use this opportunity to thank my wife so much for taking care of the home front.”

    Manu also heaped praises on both Senator Liyel Imoke, Governor of Cross River State and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Ibrahim Auwalu who rode on the team’s bus in company of NFF’s President Alhaji Aminu Maigari for a dinner reception hosted by Nigeria’s Embassy in the UAE.

  • Military in governance ‘ll no longer be tolerated, says Jonathan

    Military in governance ‘ll no longer be tolerated, says Jonathan

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday maintained that governance by the military in Africa and other parts of the world is old-fashioned and will no longer be tolerated.

    He made the remark yesterday while addressing a special session of the National People’s Assembly during his visit to Guinea-Bissau.

    President Jonathan also called on the country’s Armed Forces to embrace total respect for democracy and constitutionalism in the interest of their nation.

    He said: “It is no longer fashionable to see the military parading themselves as the custodians of political power. Rather, it is fashionable for the military to embrace the protection, preservation and total respect for constitutional order and democracy in order to build a prosperous and an egalitarian society,”

    According to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the session was also attended by members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of civil society organizations.

    President Jonathan disclosed that he was in Bissau to show solidarity to the government and people of Guinea Bissau as part of efforts to ensure lasting peace and stability on the African continent.

    He re-stated Nigeria’s condemnation of recent attacks on the Nigerian Embassy and Nigerian nationals in Guinea Bissau, saying: “Mischief makers in the country should be discouraged from inciting the public against brotherly Nigerians and Africans.”

    President Jonathan called on the authorities of Guinea-Bissau to bring the perpetrators of the criminal attacks to justice.

    “We should be our brothers’ keepers and work hand-in-hand in this era of globalization so as to reap the fruits that come with it. I want to reassure you that the incident that led to the death of a Nigerian will not deter us from our desire to ensure that peace and stability are restored in Guinea-Bissau,” he added.

    He said the objective of his visit was to “identify with your aspiration to transform your country to the status of a stable and democratic society that will guarantee peace and stable democratic governance which is a fundamental pre-requisite for meaningful economic development.”

    Jonathan, therefore, called on the country’s political leaders and members of its Armed Forces to “remain steadfast and maintain the commitment which you have demonstrated right from the onset until the transition process is successfully completed with the holding of general elections which will take place soon.”

    President Jonathan urged all stakeholders in the country to sheathe their swords and work together in harmony to salvage the nation.

    He assured the gathering that Nigeria and ECOWAS will continue to make financial and material contributions to ensure that the general elections are held as quickly as possible.

    The Speaker of the National People’s Assembly, Ibraima Sori Djalo, thanked President Jonathan and the Nigerian government for “Nigeria’s presence in our country every time we need support, particularly in this last crisis to which we are determined to find a solution.”

    He described the October attack on Nigerians in Guinea Bissau as very “depressing” and reiterated the earlier official apology conveyed to Nigeria on the incident.

    Both countries later signed a Cooperation Agreement to boost bilateral relations between them.

    The agreement was signed by the Nigerian Minister of State II (Foreign Affairs), Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, and his Guinea Bissau counterpart, Fernando Delfim da Silva, in the presence of President Jonathan and his host, the Interim President of Guinea Bissau, Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo, and top government officials of both countries.

    During the bilateral talks between the delegations of the two countries which preceded the signing of the cooperation agreement, President Nhamadjo informed President Jonathan of the commitment of his government to conduct general elections and implement the reformation of Guinea-Bissau’s Security and Defence Forces with the assistance of ECOWAS.

    Before departing Guinea Bissau for The Gambia, President Jonathan met with members of the Nigerian community and visited the Nigerian contingent of ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau (ECOMIB) at Bras, Bissau.

  • Don’t rely on ‘big’ nations, Jonathan tells African leaders

    Don’t rely on ‘big’ nations, Jonathan tells African leaders

    PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has urged African countries to harness their potentials and depend less on “industrialised nations”.

    Speaking when he received Botswana’s Ambassador to Nigeria Mr Louis Matshewenyego Fisher at the State House, Abuja, Jonathan implored Africa to use its comparative economic advantages for its people’s benefit.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the president said it was time Africa moved away from current “dependency” partnerships with the industrialised nations.

    He urged African leaders to focus more on building domestic capacity around the strength of their economies, instead of wasting efforts on areas in which they lack a competitive edge.

    Acknowledging the inter-connectivity of the world economy, Jonathan said globalisation would work better when African countries take greater advantage of their human and natural resources to enhance their ability to compete effectively with other regions in world trade.

    Africa’s competitiveness, he said, could be further enhanced through increased regional trade and horizontal investment partnerships.

    Jonathan said: “I want to insist that our diplomacy should be based more on trade and economic relations. We must encourage trade between our people and I see that relationship as the bedrock for diplomacy.”

    The president also received letters of credence from Czech Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Pavel Mikes, Kuwait Ambassador to Nigeria Abdulla Ahmed Al-Sharrah and Canadian High Commissioner in Nigeria Mr. Perry Calderwood.

    He told them about the need for partnerships that could boost the economies of Nigeria and other African nations.

    Pointing out that the growing youth population in Africa was an advantage for the continent, he said the population gave the continent a competitive edge over other parts of the world by providing a vast labour pool for investors and a huge market for products and services.

    “Most Western countries have a population that is largely elderly. We have a larger population of youths in Nigeria and most African countries. But we must do more to ensure that they are meaningfully engaged and that will involve confronting the challenge of unemployment head long,’’ he said.

    Jonathan congratulated the ambassadors on their posting and wished them success in their efforts to boost bilateral relations between Nigeria and their countries.

    The ambassadors thanked the president for receiving them promising to work hard to further enhance existing trade, economic and cultural cooperation between Nigeria and their countries.

  • Why we accepted panel’s job, by Nyiam, Uranta

    Why we accepted panel’s job, by Nyiam, Uranta

    Two members of the National Conference Committee, Mr. Tony Uranta and Col. Tony Nyiam (rtd), yesterday explained why they accepted to serve on the Dr. Femi Okurounmu-led committee.

    Uranta, who is the Secretary of the National Summit Group, said the conference will create a platform for Nigerians to discuss the basis for peaceful co-existence and other issues germane for the survival of the country.

    Nyiam, who has been an advocate of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), commended Nigerians, who had insisted on a national conference and President Goodluck Jonathan, who has acceded to their demand, stressing that it would offer a great opportunity to resolve the national question.

    Uranta said: “I have accepted the offer to serve on the committee. Why would I not accept it? We have been calling for a national conference in the National Summit Group. Now, it has been expanded for other perspectives to come in. The nation will be better for it”.

    Drawing a line of demarcation between a Sovereign National Conference and National Conference, he said the National Summit Group never advocated a SNC, unlike the Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO), which had insisted on an SNC.

    He acknowledged that the first challenge that will confront the committee is the modality for the representation at the conference, assuring that the committee will successfully work it out through a consensual agreement.

    Uranta added: ‘Let us get to the bridge before we cross it. Let is create a platform first. When we get there, we will discuss. We will work within the terms of reference. We will not antagonise anybody. The confer4ence will be all-inclusive”.

    Nyiam said: “I have accepted the offer to serve. My expectation is that we will be given a chance to create an enabling environment for the ethno-nations of Nigeria to freely meet and negotiate how they will live together’.

    However, the retired soldier said he looked forward to a Constituent Assembly, whose resolutions will be subjected to a referendum.

    Nyiam added: “Once a Constituent Assembly meets and its decisions are subjected to a referendum or plebiscite, the decision cannot be subjected to any ratification by another authority. That means the process is sovereign.

    The retired soldier said a national conference should share the elements of a representative government, or indirect democracy canvassed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    He said: “If this can happen in the United Kingdom after many years, where they gave the chance to the Scottish to determine their fate, why should Nigerians not have the chance to determine how they will co-exist? I commended Nigerians who asked for a national conference and the government that has granted their request”.

  • Nothing has changed

    •Cabinet reshuffle by the President was informed more by partisan considerations

    In the run-up to the 2011 election, President Goodluck Jonathan had campaigned vigorously across the country, promising to implement a national transformation agenda if voted back into office. The high expectation engendered by this pledge was certainly one of the variables responsible for his consequent victory at the polls.

    Yet, when he constituted his cabinet, sceptics doubted if the team had the requisite quality to deliver on the President’s campaign promises. Political considerations rather than a track record of performance and the requisite experience seemed to have played a prime role in the appointment of most of the ministers. Despite the high marks he awarded himself during the presentation of his mid-term report, the prevalent view is that the Jonathan administration has underperformed abysmally and that no meaningful transition agenda is being undertaken in the country.

    This is one of the reasons why there had been persistent speculations for months, of an imminent cabinet reshuffle at the federal level. The assumption was that a President who is so obviously bent on serving a second term in office would fundamentally re-jig his team and enhance his capacity to deliver on his electoral promises, to brighten his chances of re-election. Unfortunately, when nine members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) were sacked on September 11, the action turned out to be a veritable anti-climax. The issue of performance was most certainly the last thing on the President’s mind in deciding which ministers to drop.

    There is also no indication that the performance Benchmark for the FEC, which the President got every minister to sign amidst wide publicity, played any significant role in his decision-making process on this matter. As mediocre as many of them may have been, the sacked ministers – Olugbenga Ashiru (Foreign Affairs), Ruqqayatu Rufa’i (Education), Shamsudeen Usman (National Planning), Amal Pepple (Land and Urban Development), Hadiza Mailafia (Environment), Ita Ewa (Science and Technology), Olusola Obada (Minister of State for Defence), her counterparts in the power and agriculture ministries, respectively, Zainab Kuchi, and Tijani Bukur, were certainly not the worst performers in the cabinet.

    One of the most critical and important ministers in the cabinet, for instance, is Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. Yet, under her watch the economy continues to stagnate and manifest the abnormality of growth in the midst of massive unemployment and pervasive poverty. Given the decrepit state of major highways across the country, it is difficult to understand why the minister of works, Mr Mike Onolememen, remains in office. There continues to be a wide hiatus between the soaring rhetoric of the minister of agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, and the actual performance of the ministry as the country remains helplessly food- dependent.

    While one of the sacked ministers was alleged to have forced parastatals under the ministry to buy an SUV worth N17 million for personal use, the minister of petroleum, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke sits pretty in office despite more damaging allegations against her. Not only did the gargantuan fraud uncovered in the administration of the so-called fuel subsidy take place under her watch, the Crusaders for Good Governance (CGG) recently alleged that she wasted N2billion of public funds on chartered flights – an allegation she has not responded to.

    From all indications, the cabinet reshuffle was motivated largely by the on-going crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The move was instinctual and informed by panic rather than rigorous and methodical thinking. This is another clear indication of how partisan politicking has pushed governance to the backburner in the Jonathan administration, with elections still two years ahead. This is clearly no path to national transformation.

  • Curses are not enough

    Curses are not enough

    Mr. President was understandably distraught but, disappointingly, he chose to express his emotion in diction that was at once unrefined and most un-exemplary. Preesident Goodluck Jonathan’s verbal reaction to the news of a bloody attack by Boko Haram that consumed over 20 students of Government Secondary School, a boarding institution at Mamudo, Yobe State, could have been more measured, considering that the development demanded more of effective counter-action than words, particularly of the undignified type.

    Jonathan, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, declared, “The killing is barbaric, completely wicked.” Then he jolted public consciousness, and perhaps sensibility, by issuing a curse on the perpetrators of the evil. The statement attributed to him said, “Anybody who will target innocent children for any kind of grief or emotional dysfunction will certainly go to hell.”  Jonathan’s priestly presumptuousness is interesting, but he missed the point.

    True, the targeting and large-scale slaughter of children by the terroristic Islamist group is a conscienceless new dimension to its condemnable pursuits. However, the answer to such callous brutality cannot be a curse, which merely shifts responsibility for tackling a practical issue to the realm of the supernatural. No, this is a problem that must be urgently addressed by President Jonathan, in material terms rather than through appeals to the spiritual.

    The chilling account of 15-year-old Musa Hassan, who survived the mindless assault of July 6, is sufficient to illustrate the need for urgency in arresting what seems like a new trend for Boko Haram, a focus on child murder. According to Hassan, “We were sleeping when we heard gunshots. When I woke up, someone was pointing a gun at me.” He reportedly raised his arm in defence, and had four fingers of his right hand blown off. He said the gunmen were armed with jerry cans of fuel which they used to torch the school’s administrative block and a hostel.  ”They burned the children alive,” he was quoted as saying.

    This horrendous picture is reinforced by the fact that the fundamentalists had carried out similar attacks against schools and students only last month. On June 16, they stormed Government Secondary School in Damaturu, Yobe State, killing four students. Twenty four hours later, they also hit a private primary/secondary school in Jajeri Ward of Maiduguri, Borno State, killing seven students who were writing the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination.

    Boko Haram’s latest tendency for slaying the most vulnerable members of society is certainly repulsive, and perhaps betrays a desperation in the face of the government’s imposition of emergency rule in the troubled states, Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, since May. It is a highly dangerous turn of events that must be arrested with dispatch.

     Predictably, this recent wave of child-focused violence has left deep wounds not only on the collective mind but also on the psyche of the affected parents and guardians. The experience of a farmer, Mallam Abdullahi, is instructive. He lost two of his sons, a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old, in the Mamudo massacre. “That’s it. I’m taking my other boys out of school,” he reportedly said. This is a sad occurrence indeed, particularly because it disrupts the education of the youth, which is certainly a negative consequence with counterproductive implications for socio-economic development in those areas.

    It is reassuring that the federal authorities approved an increase in troops in Yobe, while the National Security Adviser, Mallam Sambo Dasuki, ordered an investigation into the incident. Also, the state government’s closure of schools in Yobe to allow room for reviewing safety measures in the education sector is a welcome move. Such concrete steps, and even improved strategy, are more advantageous in the war against terrorism.