The statement was in reaction to a statement credited to the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) that the declaration of the state of emergency in three northeastern states; Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, was a declaration of war on the northern states.
The Presidency also said that the amnesty plans stands, as there was nothing to stop it, explaining that the state of emergency did not in any way affect the amnesty committee’s work.
The spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum, Prof. Ango Abduallhai had said, Thursday, that the imposition of state of emergency on the three northeast states was nothing but a declaration of war. Ango Abduallahi said, “It is very sad to see that the President has easily changed direction from dialogue and reconciliation to war in his bid to end the cycle of violence in the north. The volte-face by Jonathan amounts to undermining our agreement with him on peace and reconciliation and we are disturbed that he has opted for force rather than peace to end the violence.
What the President has done has now justified the fear of those, who rejected membership of the Boko Haram amnesty committee on the suspicion that he was not sincere in setting up the panel and that it was programmed to fail so as to justify military action against the north.
“We hereby call on the President to immediately disband the so-called Boko Haram amnesty committee, as there is no need to continue to waste public funds on a matter, whose purpose has been deliberately truncated by the very person who initiated it.”
But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who spoke to THISDAY, said that the declaration of state of emergency was not a declaration of war on the north, rather, he said, it was for the overall interest of the north and the nation in general.
According to Okupe, “The President has not declared any war on the north by the declaration of the state of emergency in the affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. The President holds the north as an integral part of nation and holds it very dearly.
“The principle of President Jonathan’s administration is that any problem in any part of country concerns and affects the entire nation. This has been the guiding principle as it affects the Boko Haram insurgency and, for the avoidance of doubt, the declaration of the state of emergency in the affected states is, on the long run, in the overall interest of the affected states and the nation as a whole.”
He further explained that “where it becomes impossible to guarantee lives and property of the citizenry, compounded by the inescapable action or acts of rebellion, leading to the hoisting of another flag other than the Nigeria’s anywhere on the Nigerian soil is a direct challenge to the sovereignty of the nation. When all these are viewed in the perspective, the action of the President as endorsed by majority of Nigerians is an inevitable one.”
Accordingly, Okupe, said, “The declaration of state of emergency is meant to halt the mindless killings, bombing and the pervasive insecurity prevalent in those areas. Therefore, this should not be seen as a declaration of war against the north, rather, one will like to seize this opportunity to ask for the cooperation of northern leaders and elders and in fact all Nigerians to cooperate with the President and the federal government in its determined efforts to end this menace once and for all.
“However, it should be noted that the President holds the opinions and sentiments of the northern elders in a very high esteem, which explains why their views and opinions have always been accommodated by this administration.”
On the amnesty talks, the President’s aide said that the amnesty committee stands and was doing great work, saying, “The committee is doing a great job and briefs the President on what it is doing. The committee is working assiduously to ensure that peace is restored in the country through dialogue and other terms of reference.”
Source : #ThisDay
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