Jonathan Meets Northeast Governors, Service Chiefs

Service chiefs at the end of the meeting with President Jonathan at the State House, Abuja, Tuesday. Photo: Akin Oladokun.

Towards addressing the insurgency in the Northeast ahead of the 2015 general election, governors from the area on Tuesday met behind closed-doors with President Goodluck Jonathan and service chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, his Yobe State counterpart, Ibrahim Gaidem and former Yobe State Governor, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, attended the meeting.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the governors sought for deployment of more troops and equipment to stop the activities of Boko Haram in the area, according to The Nation.

They insisted on the 2015 elections holding in the area under a peaceful arena.

On what transpired in the meeting, Gaidem said: “We have come to brief the President on the security features of our various states, we have come to greet him and we told him of the challenges we have been facing. We are appealing to the federal government to deploy more troops in addition to what we have on ground to arrest the situation in our various states.

“We need more troops, the troops on ground we have in our various states is not enough to contain the situation, so we are appealing to the federal government to deploy additional troops with full equipment to tame the situation. We don’t have any state of emergency now, so you are not correct.”

On whether elections will hold in the area, he added: “Elections will hold, you have not heard me well. Election will hold, that is the position of the electoral commission and definitely in all those areas where the insurgency exist, elections will hold.”

The Borno State governor maintained that the security agencies are rising up to the task.

He said: “Well we had very fruitful deliberations and pollination of ideas on how to find lasting solution to the insurgency bedeviling us in that part of the world. I’m an eternal optimist and I am passionate too for that matter that we shall have enduring peace very soon with the very robots frame work on ground.

“We don’t want to mention a date or anything but I believe our military is rising to the challenges of the time.”

“Our military will robustly respond to the challenges I believe. Like I said earlier I’m an eternal optimist we have to hope for the best against whatever odds.”

Also speaking, the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, assured that security will improve in the country this year.

On whether Chad and Niger forces have pulled out from the multinational force, he said: “No. They have not pulled out of multinational force because we have held several meetings. They are still part of the multinational force.”

“What has been happening is that they have not contributed troops to the point of Baga. Chad has people of their own side but I believe they have withdrawn. Niger had people with us they too withdrew and left Nigeria only at the multinational force headquarters.”

On the suggestion that the borders between Nigeria and Chad and Nigeria and Niger should be closed, he said: “I wish it could be closed but how do you close such a very large border? And it is not for military to close border any way or is it?”