The State of Emergency being enforced in three north eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa may be extended, President Goodluck Jonathan hinted on Sunday night.
The President disclosed while fielding questions during a Presidential Media chat that consultation is ongoing on possible extension of emergency rule in those states.
Following escalation of attacks in the north east region, President Jonathan in May 2013 declared emergency rule in the three states.
It has been extended once and is now due for either another extension or calling off.
The President contended that a year is not enough to end insurgency but hastened to add that tremendous progress has been recorded.
He noted that major Cities in the north would have been deserted if not for the commitment of security agents, saying “people would have deserted Bauchi, Damaturu, Maiduguri, Kano and other towns.”
President Jonathan said he has been speaking with some world leaders, including President Barak Obama of America and Francois Hollande of France as well as the neighbouring leaders of Cameroon and Chad to enlist their support in tackling insurgency that has bedevilled Nigeria.
“I will do anything possible to bring terrorism and other form of criminal attacks on innocent citizens of this country to an end. We need superior intelligence to do so,” he said.
On the abduction of over 200 girls in Chibok, President Jonathan again reassured the nation that the girls would be rescued but added that security agents would need more time as they intensify the search for the abducted girls.
On 2015, the President opined that Nigerians should not get worried unnecessarily about 2015 election, saying that the ruling party would name its presidential candidate after the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, “PDP is not in a hurry to name its presidential candidate when APC has not done so. Remember that PDP is still the champion”.
He also used the opportunity to clarify that he never said members of Boko Haram have infiltrated his cabinet but that they may have infiltrated the government.
“I never said Boko Haram has infiltrated my Cabinet. What I said was a that it has infiltrated the government. You will agree with me that during the period, a serving Senator was arrested.
“A judge was sacked and some security personnel are being investigated for their alleged involvement with Boko Haram.
“I never said Boko Haram infiltrated my cabinet and the government is made up of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary”.
The President had this to say about the legitimacy of the ongoing confab “National Conference is legitimate. The constitution of Nigeria empowers the President to get people to advise him on policies and other things.
“We wanted to set up the law but with the kind of parliament especially the House of Representatives, we were also mindful of the roadblocks.
“All what we want is for the people we have selected to agree that this is the best thing for this country. If they say this is what we want neither Jonathan nor the parliament can stop it”.
