₦airaland Forum

Borno Governor attacks Jonathan, seeks amnesty for Boko Haram
Mr. Shettima lambasted the government of Goodluck Jonathan, referring to it as “a hostile Federal Government, which lived in denial about the savagery of Boko Haram and which also saw the insurgency from the most perverted, narrow and irresponsible prism, that somehow, the insurgency had been fuelled against it, by the political and other elites of this part of Nigeria.”

“With our votes, we threw out a government at the centre, which did not work in the national interest and have now voted into power, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is also being inaugurated into power today in Abuja.”


“Unless we want to engage in an endless war of attrition that will be hallmarked by the continuing destruction of lives and property, it becomes imperative that willing members of the Boko Haram sect that want to come out of the bush must be given the opportunity to be de-radicalized and then rehabilitated to become useful citizens of society,” he said.

“It is never easy to accept back into the community, those who have taken up arms, killed, pillaged, raped and destroyed. But in the long run, society must make very expensive choices for peace, reconciliation and development. We are therefore appealing to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the International Community to assist our endeavour in that regard.”


Newly sworn-in Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, on Friday said his new administration would, among other policies, pursue amnesty for members of Boko Haram who are ready to de-radicalise.

Mr. Shettima, who took an oath of office to serve for yet another four years alongside his deputy, Zannah Mustapha, said he would lobby the new federal government of President Muhammadu Buhari to consider granting amnesty to the militants.

Messrs Shettima and Mustapha were sworn in by the state’s chief judge, Kashim Zannah, at the Ramat Square, amidst tight security mounted by soldiers and police officers.

Mr. Shettima’s second inauguration, although low-key, was attended by guests from within and outside Nigeria.

The governor lamented the plight of the millions of Borno residents squatting at various camps of Internally Displaced Persons at the time he was being sworn-in.

Mr. Shettima said his next four years would be dedicated to rebuilding destroyed and lost communities and also pursuing policies that would create jobs and empower the youths.

“I do not intend to spoil the celebration mood today but I simply cannot ignore the fact that as we are gathered here, looking good and so full of excitement, thousands of our fellow sons and daughters of Borno, old and young, including babies that are few days old, are displaced in their own land and country,” he said.

He added that the sad tales of destructions and the faces of “our displaced sons, daughters, brothers and sisters,” told the true story of Borno today.

The governor, who described his swearing in as “a very special day in the long history of Borno”, said his second mandate was in recognition of the effort his administration made in the past four years, “to touch your lives in several areas of human endeavour”.

He acknowledged, however, that the last four years were certainly some of the most tragic and challenging in the thousand-year history of Borno.

“We have gone through the most savage insurgency of the Boko Haram sect, which massacred thousands of our people; especially destroying the cream of Borno youth and ensuring that into the next generation, we will be faced with a demographic crisis that will challenge our creative ingenuity, to overcome,” he said.

The governor said, in spite of all these, his government still managed to remain focused to build the “basic blocks of development, in agriculture, education and empowerment.”

“And we never for a moment abandoned our people,” Mr. Shettima said. “The people appreciated how we worked with sincerity, with commitment and always defending their best interests.”

Mr. Shettima lambasted the government of Goodluck Jonathan, referring to it as “a hostile Federal Government, which lived in denial about the savagery of Boko Haram and which also saw the insurgency from the most perverted, narrow and irresponsible prism, that somehow, the insurgency had been fuelled against it, by the political and other elites of this part of Nigeria.”

“They therefore did only the barest and most perfunctory, to stem the problem. Meanwhile, our people suffered and our communities were systematically laid to waste,” he said. “Democracy became the saving grace for the people.

“With our votes, we threw out a government at the centre, which did not work in the national interest and have now voted into power, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is also being inaugurated into power today in Abuja.”

Mr. Shettima said the people of Borno now have the opportunity to put their problems before a “listening president, who would be willing to assist us with utmost dispatch, to accelerate our development.”


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Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State

Borno Governor attacks Jonathan, seeks amnesty for Boko Haram
ByOla' Audu May 29, 2015 Reading Time: 3 mins read
Newly sworn-in Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, on Friday said his new administration would, among other policies, pursue amnesty for members of Boko Haram who are ready to de-radicalise.

Mr. Shettima, who took an oath of office to serve for yet another four years alongside his deputy, Zannah Mustapha, said he would lobby the new federal government of President Muhammadu Buhari to consider granting amnesty to the militants.

Messrs Shettima and Mustapha were sworn in by the state’s chief judge, Kashim Zannah, at the Ramat Square, amidst tight security mounted by soldiers and police officers.

Mr. Shettima’s second inauguration, although low-key, was attended by guests from within and outside Nigeria.

The governor lamented the plight of the millions of Borno residents squatting at various camps of Internally Displaced Persons at the time he was being sworn-in.

Mr. Shettima said his next four years would be dedicated to rebuilding destroyed and lost communities and also pursuing policies that would create jobs and empower the youths.

“I do not intend to spoil the celebration mood today but I simply cannot ignore the fact that as we are gathered here, looking good and so full of excitement, thousands of our fellow sons and daughters of Borno, old and young, including babies that are few days old, are displaced in their own land and country,” he said.

He added that the sad tales of destructions and the faces of “our displaced sons, daughters, brothers and sisters,” told the true story of Borno today.

ⓘ
The governor, who described his swearing in as “a very special day in the long history of Borno”, said his second mandate was in recognition of the effort his administration made in the past four years, “to touch your lives in several areas of human endeavour”.

He acknowledged, however, that the last four years were certainly some of the most tragic and challenging in the thousand-year history of Borno.

“We have gone through the most savage insurgency of the Boko Haram sect, which massacred thousands of our people; especially destroying the cream of Borno youth and ensuring that into the next generation, we will be faced with a demographic crisis that will challenge our creative ingenuity, to overcome,” he said.

The governor said, in spite of all these, his government still managed to remain focused to build the “basic blocks of development, in agriculture, education and empowerment.”

“And we never for a moment abandoned our people,” Mr. Shettima said. “The people appreciated how we worked with sincerity, with commitment and always defending their best interests.”

Mr. Shettima lambasted the government of Goodluck Jonathan, referring to it as “a hostile Federal Government, which lived in denial about the savagery of Boko Haram and which also saw the insurgency from the most perverted, narrow and irresponsible prism, that somehow, the insurgency had been fuelled against it, by the political and other elites of this part of Nigeria.”

“They therefore did only the barest and most perfunctory, to stem the problem. Meanwhile, our people suffered and our communities were systematically laid to waste,” he said. “Democracy became the saving grace for the people.

“With our votes, we threw out a government at the centre, which did not work in the national interest and have now voted into power, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is also being inaugurated into power today in Abuja.”

Mr. Shettima said the people of Borno now have the opportunity to put their problems before a “listening president, who would be willing to assist us with utmost dispatch, to accelerate our development.”

ⓘ
He said in the next four years, he would need the support of all citizens in the quest to rebuild the devastated communities of Borno state.

He promised an all-inclusive “growth that would focus on reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction – the three Rs.

He also reiterated his readiness to give members of Boko Haram a chance for amnesty.

“Unless we want to engage in an endless war of attrition that will be hallmarked by the continuing destruction of lives and property, it becomes imperative that willing members of the Boko Haram sect that want to come out of the bush must be given the opportunity to be de-radicalized and then rehabilitated to become useful citizens of society,” he said.

“It is never easy to accept back into the community, those who have taken up arms, killed, pillaged, raped and destroyed. But in the long run, society must make very expensive choices for peace, reconciliation and development. We are therefore appealing to the Federal Government of Nigeria and the International Community to assist our endeavour in that regard.”

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/184005-borno-governor-attacks-jonathan-seeks-amnesty-for-boko-haram.html

Gf

Great job

Alhaji Sule Lamido is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, whose stand against zoning the Presidential ticket in 2023 eventually paved the way for the victory of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar at the party’s presidential primaries. In this exclusive interview with Vanguard, Lamido gives reasons Atiku will beat All Progressives Congress, APC, flag bearer, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu in the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, next year, why Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, should be rescued and protected ahead of future elections, among sundry national issues.

Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu of the PDP and APC are highly experienced and influential leaders across the country. Who has edge over the other, going into the 2003 election?

There are two dimensions to this. One is about emotions, divisions and religion but I don’t want to go into divisive politics. The other one is the question of platform. PDP is a political party which is peaceful, very organic, and founded by political thinkers who believe in Nigeria, people who have vision and passion for Nigeria. In terms of the philosophical underpinnings of their foundation, APC is not a match for PDP at all; APC has no history, APC has no what I may call heritage; it is a party which was purely formed out of anger, frustration, pain and maybe, the desire to take over power.

In 1998 when the parties were formed there was no APC. What we had then were four political parties in Nigeria: Alliance for Democracy, AD, the PDP, All Peoples Party, APP and a few other ones but the major ones were three.

By 2003, PDP was still there but the APP had morphed into All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP and AD was becoming divided along conservative lines and Action Congress, AC was birthed. In 2007, there was still PDP, the ANPP and AC became Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. By 2011, PDP was still there. So, when the other parties were formed in 2013 or thereabout, none could match the history of the PDP and this fact has not changed till today.

Tinubu may be a master tactician. He is a good guy in planning and propaganda but then he is on the wrong political platform and even the way he came out, the way he won the primaries, it is very clear that even members of the APC are going to vote against him. I am being honest because of the issue of pride and their chairman who said they are going to punish Tinubu for making some uncomplimentary remarks about the President.
I think in trying to answer your question, one should be very careful because it is our heritage, our history, our symbols that you are talking about here. I mean Obasanjo and Atiku: they symbolise PDP in power.

It is said that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers because it is trampled upon. I will appeal to them that while they are fighting, they should remember that they are also destroying their history and the history of the PDP.

Obasanjo is a senior man, somebody who is elderly. He has the right to talk down on his own children but that should be an in-house accusation. He can say Atiku you are this or that but when he says it publicly to the country he led, it is wrong. What might have been his achievements are also linked to Atiku because they ran on a joint ticket.

I don’t want to sound rude but when PDP was formed, Obasanjo was in prison and the formation of the PDP had history. We had a group led by Atiku and many others and also the progressives as symbolised by Solomon Lar, Abubakar Rimi, Jim Nwobodo and many others. It is right to say that when PDP was formed, Obasanjo was not politically known
Professor Ango Abdullahi has dismissed the candidacy of Atiku and Tinubu as incapable of addressing the challenges confronting Nigeria. If Abdullahi, a notable voice in the North is saying your party is not fit to govern Nigeria, what is your take on this?

Afenifere people are talking and so is the Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Northern Elders Forum, NEF, is talking but what impact has the Ango Abdullahi group made ever since? So if Ango, who is my elder brother, who I respect, talks this way at his age; is he thinking right? His ideas and thinking are those of a 87 years person who is totally disconnected from Nigeria because how does he talk to a 25 years old child to understand him?

In any case, this person has been there for the last 25 years and he could not even join (political race).

The Northern Elders’ Forum is not a political umbrella; it is for all northerners including Sule Lamido. Therefore, he can’t make a choice for me.

You were one of the advocates of an open ticket in the race to the PDP presidential ticket, which eventually led to the emergence of Atiku Abubakar. There was a strong agitation for zoning which you kicked against. Without zoning, it appears, a particular section of the country will continue to have its way…

My position was and is very clear. I am a pan-Nigerian, who believes in the oneness of the country- the unity of the North and South. Within the PDP, even though there are competing interests, it is normal. You see, there are those who are emotional, who see their son as a symbol of their fulfillment but we want a candidate who will be there and be a symbol of national unity, progress and security.

But the agitation among the various contending interests is that ‘we want our son to be there for our own symbolism.’ Whether we are dying or not it is not their problem. Today, we have a Buhari, a northerner, a Fulani man. But are the people of the North happier today? Are they better off today because their son is the President of Nigeria? Let us believe and trust in ourselves

Now, this issue of zoning or no zoning is being whispered by regional and tribal champions. I mean the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Arewa Consultative Forum, the Afenifere- these are the people who are talking but then they are not political parties.

They should join political parties and promote their interests. That will be easy for us to understand because as brothers and sisters, as a single family, we can discuss it.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/07/2023-some-apc-members-prefer-atiku-to-tinubu-lamido/

Okwyjesus:
Tinubu is stock. Hẹ may be forced to go NE

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Osibanjo would have been a better candidate for APC.
Tinubu ain't going no where he is a Southern Muslim which is a politically disadvantaged ethno-religious minority group in Nigeria ethno-religious set up. If he picks Muslim VP, he loses a significant large chunk of Christian Votes across the entire south geo political zone (from South West to South South to south east) and also the Northern Christian votes who are the most affected by Boko Haram , herdsmen, bandits and other terrorists attacks.

Nigeria is religiously divided like never before all thanks to Buhari, people are sensitive about religion now compared to 1992, when MKO Abiola contested. The church and mosques and other religious bodies have become more politically influential and actively involved in political affiliations, political awareness and political participation like never before, it was never like this in 1992.
An Osibanjo emerging as APC flag bearer would have galvanized the APC support base, and also gotten these same enthusiasm and political activism as being done for Peter Obi by the Youths.

Tinubu ain't going anywhere, he will Only get the south west votes, Obi and Atiku will share the south South (Okowa factor) and South East,
I keep telling Tinubu politically naive supporters , Tinubu can not get votes more than Atiku in the North even if Tinubu picks an Imam, an Emir or even a Sheikh as Vice President, he is not regarded as a real Muslim in the North, it is a clean sweep for Atiku in the North East where he is from, Tinubu will only pick Borno in North East, and in the North West Atiku will still pick it slightly.
Kwankwaso still said it countless time on
Channels TV on Sunday night, what we been telling, echoing and educating to Tinubu supporters, that Northerners will first vote a Northerner before any southerner who they tag as infidels in the North, this is not 1992, this is 2022, Nigeria is religious and ethnically divided like never before in history.
Even APC Governors who are contesting for second term or going for Senate, will not openly campaign against a Northerner in the North in favor of a Southerner , they will be tagged as infidels and will suffer protest votes in their re-election bid or Senate bid.

Nice one
Tinubu picks a Muslim Vice president, he should just forget votes from Northern Christians and Southern Christians, it will be shared between Obi and Atiku(Okowa) [/b]