H.E. Atiku Abubakar, GCON
Text of a World Press Conference by H.E. Atiku Abubakar,
GCON, former Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, at the
Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Gentlemen of the Press:
It is with deep regret that I came to learn that Mubi, which is one
the largest towns in Adamawa State of northeast Nigeria, has been taken
by the terrorist group commonly known as Boko Haram. As you may know,
in recent weeks and months, Mubi has been a town to which displaced
persons from further north have fled for safety after their communities
fell to Boko Haram. As I speak, the inhabitants of Mubi, together with
those who went there for safety, find themselves at the mercy of this
terrorist group.
I am Nigerian. I believe in the integrity of Nigeria as a whole, and
every part of this country matters to me. But I was born and bred in
the northeast. So, please, excuse me if I should say a few words about
the part of the country where I am from, about what the people from the
northeast of Nigeria have had to suffer for far, far too long.
Things should never have got to this stage. Thousands of Nigerians
have had to flee their homes. Their houses and farms have been
destroyed. They do not know where to go or how to restart their lives.
That is the degree to which we have come in this country. I say this
with reluctance and with shame. The situation in which we find
ourselves today is grave. Much of Borno, and the north of Adamawa and
Yobe states is already at the mercy of the terrorists. It started a few
months ago with Bama, which is nearly 400 kilometres from Yola, capital
of Adamawa State.
The next major town to be taken by terrorists was Gwoza, where a
terrorist caliphate flag has long been hoisted. Smaller towns near
Gwoza such as Pulka and Limankra are equally not free. Next was
Madagali. The town is still being occupied. Then fell Gulak. Next was
Michika, then Bazza. Next was the twin town of Uba which is half
Adamawa and half Bornu. Its neighboring town of Lassa was also
overrun. Uba was the latest town captured before the terrorists
trampled on Mubi. People from these troubled areas are now pouring into
Yola for safety.
As somebody who hails from Adamawa State, you can appreciate why I
feel such emotion at the fate of my people. For whatever reason, our
defence forces are unable to cope and unable to defend. My sympathies go
out to the soldiers who find themselves in a situation not of their
making. This is a crisis of leadership.
We were told that the budget for security was going to be enlarged so
that the security agencies and military would be in a better position
to tackle the insurgency. How is it possible that a great nation like
Nigeria should find itself in a situation where a handful of terrorists
is able to invade a town as large as Mubi with a population of about
300,000? How were the insurgents able to so easily take a town of this
size, and the people find themselves defenseless and undefended? How is
it that the people have been made to suffer as they have?
I have previously spoken about the deteriorating security situation
in this country on a number of occasions. On those occasions I
deliberately restrained myself from speaking in a manner that might be
construed as distracting the government and the security forces as they
grappled with the dire security situation. But the scale of injustice
the people of Nigeria are suffering has reached a stage where I am
obliged to amplify my concerns.
Many of our citizens, unable to come to terms with why a so-called
“Africa’s best army” has been unable to confront this horrendous
situation, are increasingly assuming that this whole thing is about
electoral politics. They suspect that the seeming inability of the
government to end the crisis is a ploy to weaken some parts of the
country ahead of the 2015 elections. Can we, in all honesty, blame them
for having those suspicions?
I call upon the international community to help us. I am making a
special appeal to countries with sufficient knowhow and experience in
tackling terrorism to increase their assistance to us.
The relief agencies that are already working here should please
double their efforts. And all people of goodwill should help in any way
they can and to do more than they have been doing to alleviate the pain
and suffering that we Nigerians face through this insurgency. At a time
when we are constantly bombarded with horror stories of ugly events
elsewhere in the world – here in West Africa, we are faced with the
Ebola epidemic and other trouble spots – I draw your attention to a
humanitarian crisis which is also a matter of international security.
This Boko Haram insurgency has been with us now for several years but
has, in these last few days, taken a step further towards being a
disaster of unimaginable proportions. Hundreds of thousands of people
are at risk. Nigeria needs the world’s support. The world must not
abandon Nigerians in our time of need.
Thank you.
Source: www.atiku.org
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