By
Premium Times
The
Adamawa State People's Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial candidate, Nuhu
Ribadu, has lauded the efforts of President Goodluck Jonathan and security
operatives for routing the Boko Haram insurgents from occupied territories with
minimal collateral damage.
He
said both the political leadership and the armed forces deserve a vote of
confidence from Nigerians as they stepped up efforts to totally dislodge the
insurgents from communities they hitherto occupied.
The
Nigerian military recently dislodged the Boko Haram from several communities in
Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.
Mr.
Ribadu spoke at the weekend in Mubi, Adamawa State, when he visited Paka in
Maiha Local Government Area, Mubi in Mubi North Local Government Area and Gella
in Mubi South Local Government Area, to commiserate with the people affected by
the insurgents’ occupation of the towns.
He
said the Adamawa State Governor, Bala Ngilari, has demonstrated strong
leadership in the fight against the insurgency by cooperating with the security
agencies and pioneering strategic civilian involvement in tackling the
insurgency.
Mr.
Ribadu, however, warned against tampering with the present federal government
leadership which, he said, may affect the tempo of the ongoing
counterinsurgency operation.
“Political
stability is key to peace and security, more so at a time of instability like
what we are witnessing today. We cannot afford to disrupt this operation
midstream. This tide should be allowed to continue.
“I
have worked in many crisis zones, including Afghanistan, I know what insurgency
is all about. It is unfortunate that at a time the country should unite for
action against the insurgents we were busy apportioning blame. That is why I
refrained from any comment about this all this while,” Mr. Ribadu said.
Terrorism,
he explained, is a global phenomenon which is difficult to overcome, adding
that “No country has succeeded in eliminating terrorism altogether and within a
short time. The victory may not be total and immediate. It is a gradual
process.”
“It
is sad that politics is brought into this issue of insurgency. Those making
unguarded comments do not know that they are hurting us, we that are living in
the epicentre of this insurgency.
“The
people living in this part of the country have suffered for too long, those
hauling words from their comfort zones should please shut up and give us chance
to confront what directly affects us,” he said.
Mr.
Ribadu also thanked those he called the real heroes of the war against the
insurgency, which includes “the military, police and our gallant members of the
vigilante who sacrificed a lot and even lost their lives.”
“I
am proud to associate myself with you,” he added.
On
the strategy of routing the terrorists who had stayed in so communities for
many months, Mr. Ribadu said, “The President never wanted to have large number
of collateral damage. He is a careful leader who quietly took this very
measured strategy without grandstanding. Today, we see the result of this
matured way of handling this difficult war, which has pushed out the terrorists
with minimal civilian casualty.
“The
President took his time to build this strong coalition of bringing together our
neighbouring countries. The result is for everyone to see. We have seen that
the table is now turned against the terrorists, and they are on the run.
“Our
security agencies are doing extremely great work and we should unite in applauding
them. They have operated in the most difficult situations but they are winning
even though the world refused to help us.
“Now,
it is about consolidation of this success on how to restore life in these
affected communities and bring about stability. The President has already
established the Victims Support Fund and he has a marshal plan on how to
consolidate on this military successes.
“President
Goodluck Jonathan is a very compassionate and kind-hearted person but it is
being misunderstood to mean something else. But to me, it is an attribute of a
good leader. We have seen the President demonstrating compassion in a number of
ways. Our lives have been turned upside down here. He has visited us, he has
assured us of his commitment to restore back our lives. And I believe he will
live up to those promises.”
Traditional,
religious and business leaders from the three local governments who received
Mr. Ribadu expressed appreciation for the visit, as they showed optimism that
with a leader of Mr. Ribadu’s calibre, the state can address myriad of its
developmental and security challenges.
Source:
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/
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