By Ameh Comrade Godwin on April 9, 2013


Governor of Niger state and Chairman, Northern States Governors Forum, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliu, has called on northern Governors to fish out members of Boko Haram sect in their respective states in order to create an enabling environment for the actualization of the Federal Governments proposed amnesty programme.

The Governor said this on Monday in Minna, the state capital, that the President’s decision to commence amnesty programme for the dreaded sects was a welcome development.

Speaking at the opening of a workshop on the review and evaluation of the 2006 population and housing census, organised for the commissioners and state Directors of by the National Population Commission, Aliyu said identifying the Boko Haram members would enable the ‘‘government to discuss with human beings not ghosts”.

Aliyu said, “I also call on the Governors in the North to begin to unmask the ghost among them so that we will be talking to human beings and not ghosts”

“Please let me use this opportunity to congratulate and commend the president, Goodluck Jonathan for demonstrating an excellent leadership quality by listening to the cries and wise counsel from different quarters on the possibility of an amnesty for Boko Haram to engender peace and security in the nation.”


Aliyu however said declaration of amnesty to Boko-Haram members was not the solution to the prevailing crisis in some parts of the country.

“We must look at other angles to give Nigerians peace before asking Nigerians to support the President in the onerous responsibility of finding solution to the mirage of security problems facing Nigeria,” he added.

He noted that no matter how well planned and executed a population census was without a peaceful environment, the figures would come to nothing.

Aliyu noted that previous census conducted in the country did not receive acceptance from the majority of Nigerians because of illegality perpetrated by officials of the commission and community leaders.

National Chairman of the Commission, Festus Odumegwu, said the workshop was designed to unite all the participants and to reflect on the experiences and challenges of the 2006 population and housing census with the aim of evaluating the process and outcome of the exercise.

source: http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/04/09/amnesty-northern-governors-should-identify-boko-haram-members-in-their-states-aliyu/