Following an Ultimatum issued by The Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe said the President did not require such threat or ultimatum to be alive to his responsibilities.

The NEF had given Jonathan a two-month ultimatum within which to rescue the girls or forget his bid to seek another term. In his statement, Dr. Doyin Okupe said that,
“The issue of insurgency, especially those ideologically based on Islamic extremism is a global phenomenon and requires tact, military capability, serious de-radicalisation techniques and community based counter insurgency programmes to ensure success,” Okupe stated.

“We are improving on our operational capabilities and efficiencies by acquiring more advanced weapons and technologies for our military and security agencies.
“We have drafted more military personnel to the region to strengthen the fighting power of our armed forces.
“We are taking advantage of the offers from our international military and intelligence allies to assist in identifying key locations.
“We are working with our neighbors to secure the borders and limit the movements of the Boko Haram fighters, building on the agreements reached at the recent summits in Paris and London.
“We are deploying more resources to maximize operational efficiency, acquire more advanced and relevant weaponry and boost the general morale of our combatants. This is why the government recently requested for an additional funding of $1billion.
“And the last piece in the puzzle is targeting the domestic and international funding, and stopping the money flows into the coffers of the terrorists.
“With all these efforts and the support of our allies, these steps will help fight the threat of the Boko haram and move us closer to bringing the girls back safely,” the statement added.

The Igbo Redemption Group (IRG) also took a swipe at the northern elders over the matter, saying their position was unreasonable, unpatriotic, divisive and unfortunate.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the leader the IRG, Chief Delly Ajufo, said the northern elders’ position had confirmed the suspicion that the kidnap of the girls was meant to prevent President Jonathan from seeking re-election.
“Statements like these coming from people who cannot lay claim to any significant contribution to the growth and development of Northern Nigeria is nothing but a mark of desperation which we hopefully assume does not represent the views of right thinking leaders of the North,” Ajufo said.

SOURCE: nigerianfm