Turaki expresses great confidence in Igbos, adjudges President Jonathan as winning war against insurgents

ABUJA (Special Duties and Inter- Governmental Affairs Report) The Minister of Special Duties and Inter Government Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki recently in his office received a delegation of the Igbo World Union (IWU), accompanied by the Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, Sarah Jibril.
 
The Minister commended the Igbos for their support to the Federal Government, saying the Government has also reciprocated by appointing them into sensitive positions. He continued that Mr. President has given prominent sons and daughters of Igboland key positions in the management of the country’s economy, notable among which is the appointment of a worthy son of Igboland, Pius Anyim Pius (Senator) as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Adding, this is a reflection of the confidence which the President has in the Igbo nation.

“Getting this kind of support from the IWU people, who have traversed the length and breadth of the world is heart warming,” the Minister stated.
 
He recounted the efforts of the Goodluck Jonathan Administration in bringing the menace of insurgency to an end, insisting that the Federal Government has done far more than what has been appreciated. He noted that many Nigerians do not understand the complexities of the war against terror because terrorism is a new phenomenon as far as Nigeria is concerned.

The Minister further called on Nigerians to cast their minds back to eleven or twelve months ago when there were terrorist activities in about thirteen States of the North, comprising – Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Jigawa, Taraba, Adamawa and FCT. He also inferred that the President has been able to push the activities of terrorists to only three States within seven months, indicating that this has never been done anywhere in the world.
 
According to him, within the three States where the ‘state of emergency’ has been proclaimed – Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, the President has given clear directives to the security agencies to flush them out and the insurgents have been cleared from the municipalities of these three States.

“They have moved into the Sambisa and other forests, making the municipal areas to be safe. Mr. President did not stop there as he has also issued further directives for them to be chased from the forest where they are and to be flushed out. In two instances, the Nigerian security agencies have gone into the Sambisa Forest and dislodged the terrorists,” he stated.
 
The Minister called on the public to understand that if they are pushed into the three States and eventually out to  the municipalities, villages and forests and are later pushed out of the forests, they would not stay in the forests and can’t go into the cities. So, they may become mobile and move into the Local Government Areas bordering the Sambisa forest. He intensified that there are five LGAs in Borno and three in Yobe, making up eight LGAs where the insurgents exhibit strong presence.

The Minister said that because of their desperation and the Government closing in on them, wherever they meet a group of people, they unleash maximum terror on them. He insisted that people should not join politics with serious national matters such as insurgency and called for change of attitude. 

He assured Nigerians of the President’s commitment to the protection of the lives and properties of Nigerians, to bringing back the Chibok girls as soon as possible and engaging silent revolution through faithful implementation of the Transformation Agenda for good returns on investment.
 
The Minister revered the President on the recent conclusion of the World Economic Forum (Africa), describing it as the most successful World Economic Forum (WEC) ever. He also noted that there is progress in the aviation sector, the transport sector, the education sector, power and the rebuilding of critical infrastructure.

Speaking on behalf of the IWU, Mishak Nnanta assured the Minister that his group believes in the unity of Nigeria; adding that they are happy with the way in which President Jonathan has treated the Igbos as well as the method in which he has piloted the affairs of the country.

Mishak Nnanta cited the Enugu International Airport, the construction of the second Niger Bridge and the rehabilitation of the Enugu – Port Harcourt Expressway as positive developments. He condemned the recent abduction of girls in Chibok, urging the President to persist in the Transformation Agenda in-spite of distractions.