APC hails troops, blames president for allowing
insurgency to fester • Jonathan condemns bombings in
Kano, Potiskum • Nigeria: Israel crucial in fight against
sect Muhammad Bello, Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Jaiyeola Andrews in Abuja, Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano and Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri with agency report
Setting partisan politics aside, the House of
Representatives on Tuesday applauded President
Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian military for the
latter’s recent recapture of several towns and
communities that had fallen under the control of the
terror group, Boko Haram, in the North-east, particularly
Borno State.
Similarly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) showered
the same praise on the troops, but blamed Jonathan for
allowing the insurgency to fester and the resultant
deaths of 15,000 Nigerians.
But their praise coincided with the condemnation by the
president of two suicide bombings yesterday at bus
stations in Kano and Potiskum which resulted in the
death of 27 persons in both cities.
Prompted by a motion of urgent national importance
moved by Hon. Muhammad Tahir Monguno (APC,
Borno), the House praised the military for its bravery
and steadfastness, noting that in previous months, Boko
Haram had nearly over-run Borno State, but added that
the tide was turning against the insurgents as a result
of the gallantry of the soldiers.
According to Monguno, prior to the new offensive
against the terror group, Boko Haram had subdued
some communities, hoisted their flags in the local
government headquarters and subjected the people to
despicable acts of torture.
“Almost all the local governments taken over by Boko
Haram have now been liberated, so the armed forces
require some encouragement from us in the parliament,”
Monguno stated.
Arguing in the same vein, Hon. Abubakar Momoh (SDP,
Edo) also commended the effort of the military in
chasing out the insurgents. “We were aware that a few
months ago, Boko Haram unleashed a reign of terror on
many parts of the North-east. But today, this has been
curtailed,” Momoh said.
“We need to commend the military and the Commander-
in-Chief, President Jonathan, who made it possible for
the soldiers to operate effectively,” he added.
Similarly, the Deputy House Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor
(PDP, Delta), observed that the development in Borno
and other places “is a sign that the military is working”.
“It is therefore important to appreciate what they are
doing. We also need to commend other nations – Chad,
Cameroun and Niger – for assisting us in fighting this
battle.
“We need, also, to commend the Commander-in-Chief
for his bold steps in ensuring that there is security in
the beleaguered areas within six weeks (before the
elections),” Ogor said.
Also, the House shifted the consideration of a motion
sponsored by the Minority Leader, Hon. Femi
Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos), seeking to nullify, on
constitutional grounds, the use of soldiers to provide
security during elections, till today.
If Gbajabiamila’s request sails through, the House may
resolve to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the
role played by military personnel, and any other person
(s) who featured in the said audio tape saga in the run
up to Ekiti State governorship election.
It may also call on the federal government, the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the
military authorities and other stakeholders to obey the
ruling of the Federal High Court, Sokoto, which declared
that deployment of soldiers during elections is
unconstitutional.
In this regard, the House may urge the federal
government not to deploy military personnel during the
elections in compliance with the decision of the court.
But as the House commended Jonathan and the military
for the routing of Boko Haram in some sections of the
North-east, the opposition APC elected yesterday to
limit its praise to the troops.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai
Mohammed, the party said the president bears a huge
moral responsibility that would haunt him for a long
time to come for deliberately allowing the Boko Haram
insurgency to fester, leading to the deaths of over
15,000 Nigerians and the displacement of over three
million others in the past six years.
The party further alleged that Jonathan deliberately
allowed the Boko Haram crisis to fester because he and his team saw it as their trump card for winning re-election in 2015.
On the military, APC said the string of victories recorded
by the troops over the insurgents had confirmed its
stand that the Nigerian military can hold its own
anywhere and anytime, if provided with the necessary
equipment and if the morale of the troops is not
undermined.
It said by his own admission that he and his team
“underrated the capacity of Boko Haram”, the president
has finally owned up to his globally-acknowledged
incompetence, a development which, in truly democratic
societies, should be part of a statement of resignation
by a leader whose terrible error of judgment has caused
so many deaths and inflicted so much pain and sorrow
on his compatriots.
APC said: “The truth is that Jonathan deliberately
allowed the Boko Haram crisis to fester because he and
his team saw it as their trump card for winning re-
election in 2015 by currying local and global sectarian
sympathy with a Muslim-group-killing-Christians
narrative that totally distorts the fact that Boko Haram
is a band of marauders who have no consideration for
ethnicity, regionalism, religion or any other thing beyond
their mad disposition to terror.”
It recalled that the APC had raised the alarm on many
occasions, including during an appearance at the British
Parliament in 2014 when the party’s spokesman had
warned that the PDP and the president were using the
Boko Haram crisis as a trump card to retain power in
2015.
“Is it not curious that the same president who has
stood by while Boko Haram decimates a whole section
of the country over the past six years has suddenly
realised there is something he could do to crush the
sect in six weeks?
“Is it not curious that a military that has been globally
acknowledged for its successes in peacekeeping at
regional and international levels has suddenly found
itself unable to tackle a band of criminals?
“Is it not curious that the necessary fighting equipment
that have not been made available to the military,
despite the injection of over $32 billion into the defence
and security sector since 2008, have suddenly become
available?
“There are more questions to be asked: At what point
did President Jonathan begin to have a clear idea that
Boko Haram is a major threat to the very survival of our
country? Was it after about 300 innocent girls were
abducted from their school in Chibok or before?
“Was it after hundreds of boys were slaughtered in a
secondary school in Buni Yadi or before? Or was it
before or after the Nyanya bomb blast that led to the
deaths of hundreds of people? Just when did our
president wake up to his primary responsibility?
“The truth is that after their Boko Haram-as-a-trump-
card strategy blew up in their face and their electoral
fortunes plummeted, the PDP-led Jonathan
administration came to the realisation that a stepped-
up campaign against the insurgents is needed to revive
their electoral fortunes, hence they then decided to pep
up the military and rally regional troops - the same
suggestions from the opposition that the administration
has pointedly ignored over the years - to combat the
terrorists.
“President Jonathan, who is also the Commander-in-
Chief of the Armed Forces, must take responsibility for the monumental cost, whether of his incompetence or his political strategy-gone-awry or both, apologise to the nation and immediately back down from seeking re-election.
“The president must not be allowed to profit from an
error of judgement that has cost 15,000 lives, forced
over 3 million out of their homes and cost the taxpayers
$32.88 billion.”
The party also expressed concern at the efforts of the
Jonathan administration to make Boko Haram leader
Abubakar Shekau look invincible, with the president's
statement that Shekau would be caught before the
elections.
APC said while Nigerians would undoubtedly be happy
and relieved to see the end of Boko Haram, they must
be wondering what would have happened if the
plummeting electoral fortunes of the president had not
forced his administration to push for the six-week
postponement of the general election.
“They must also be wondering what would have
happened if the elections had been scheduled for 2016,
instead of 2015,” it stated.
The party commended the long-suffering, gallant
Nigerian soldiers and called on all Nigerians to continue
to support them and the battle against insurgency.



continue www.thisdaylive.com/articles/house-applauds-jonathan-military-for-onslaught-against-boko-haram/202682/

Kudos.... Nigeria Military (NA)
Kudos.... Good Luck...

Real Nigerians are getting sense

It is good dat dey are commending d army and d c n c of d arm forces too


On d use of military for d elections dat should be sustained for protection of the voters, even if elections are peaceful in for d presidency can u say d same about d state governorship, rep and senatorial elections? So wisdom should b apply in dis

***********modified***********
Those dat said gej should hv done all these earlier, i agree to a certain level but then looking at d mindset of some northern politicians dat were screaming attack on boko haram is an attack against d north and those who were praising d boko boys when it started by bombing of churches, burning and killing of Christians, had Gej move against dem dat would hv bn seem as attack against d north and d Muslims
Onto simbasa even d Apc were frustrating Gej efforts to equipped d army, u don't expect d army to fight wit bare hands, now dat our neighboring countries are involved too and our military equipped and sabotage within d army curtail dats y u are seeing all these positive results

Good, very good.

GOODLUCK DID NOT DO WELL BY WAITING TILL 18,000 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES BEFORE DECIDING.

IT IS COMMENDABLE THAT THE C-IN-C HE DELEGATED TO SHEKAU HAD BEEN TAKEN BACK THROUGH THIS CAMPAIGN INSIDE SAMBISA.

HE WILL HAND IT OVER IN MAY 29.

WHATEVER INFLUENCED THIS LATE DECISION IS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE TO THE PEOPLE OF NIGERIA.

YOU HAVE TRIED YOUR BEST.

WE COMMEND YOU, EVEN THOUGH THIS SAME POWER HAD BEEN THERE ALL ALONG. YOU FAILED TO USE IT ON TIME.

AU'REVOIR

That's the question we all must ask Mr President, why go offensive now six weeks to the election after a postponement, why allow them gain grounds because the Bokoharam as of 2011 was only involved in Sucide Bombings but later started collecting territories.After thousands have been dead and millions displaced. If you ask me I agree with Alhaji Lai Mohammed on this Mr President deliberately for Political reasons allowed this issue of insurgency to fester.

GOD BLESS GEJ, GOODLUCK TILL 2019 NO GOING BACK

If APC think that INEC will not use the military for this election then they should be ready to forgo any election being held in Nigeria. APC wants to unleash violence but Nigerians are watching and ready