Doyin Okupe, senior special assistant
to the president, says President
Goodluck Jonathan’s administration
has turned out to be the best since
1960, despite the myriad of
challenges confronting the country.

Speaking on Tuesday during a public
affairs forum tagged ‘Jonathan
Administration: Four Impactful Years’,
Okupe had caustic words for critics of
the president, saying those describing
him as clueless are psychiatric
patients.

“We have lunatics parading
themselves as politicians here,” he
said.
“Some people who should be visiting
psychiatric hospital are saying the
government is clueless. It is a
challenge. It is a problem and a
national tragedy when a group like
Alqaeda struck in America, the citizens
rallied round their president.

Americans didn’t say what kind of
president is this? Where is the head of
CIA? Responsible came out and said
‘this will not happen in this country’.
“Election should be based on
performance. If you are an aspirant,
go and tell the people that this is
what I want to do. Don’t take
unnecessary advantage of the tragedy
of the nation.”

He singled out Atiku Abubakar, a
former vice-president and a
presidential aspirant of the All
Progressive Congress (APC), for
criticism over his recent comments on
insurgency.

Atiku had called for international
assistance to quell the insurgency ,
lamenting that the government’s
handling of the situation was below
par.

“I remember very well that before
2011 elections, it was people like
Atiku Abubakar who said those who
make peaceful change impossible will
make violent change inevitable and
that was what spurred some of these
young people who have been
brainwashed to take up arms against
their state,” he said.

“The English man says if you sow the
wind, you will reap the whirlwind. Now
the whirlwind is coming and the
blames are being put at a wrong
doorstep. The recent comments
passed by Alhaji Atiku Abubabkar is…
I don’t want to use the word
‘irresponsible’. But I will say it’s a
little bit out of place.

“It’s not something you expect from
an elder statesman, somebody who
has been in the system, who
understands how government works. I
have difficulty with this because I am
trying to choose my word, I am being
careful but also angry for a good
reason.

“When you want to be a political
leader in the country. You want to be
the president and you take sides with
the insurgents. You celebrate their
supposed victories and ridicule your
own armed forces. A potential
commander-in-chief of the armed
forces making a mockery of the armed
forces that he is likely going to
inherit. The least we can say for the
sake of respect is that that is
unpatriotic and it is undignifying.”
Okupe emphasised that insurgency is
a global phenomenon and the
government was doing its best to
restore normalcy to the troubled parts
of the country.

“This government is doing everything
possible to contain insurgency.
Insurgency is a modern menace. I
don’t know of any country or any part
of the world that you will not hear of
insurgency,” he said.

“Every day, every time. This is a new
menace that is bedevilling the world,
so why are people making it to look
as if it is peculiar to Nigeria?
“Britain had to contend with
insurgency for 32 years. China rebels
went on for 27 years. The one in
Morroco here has been going on for
14 years. Insurgency, by the nature of
how it operates, is like guerilla
warfare. In Colombia, people have
been in detention for 12 years.”

thecable.ng/okupe-jonathans-tenure-best-since-1960